698 
F6 


IC-NRLF 


Department  Bulletin  No.  8 


JUN    1919?2 

February,  1922 


Qdmttmtttmtaltl)    nf 


huB?  lla 


DEPARTMENT    OF   AGRICULTURE 

Dr.  ARTHUR  W.    GILBERT,  Commissioner 
136  STATE  HOUSE.  BOSTON 


11    J  'jt    '    'j  J  J^ 


SOME  UNDER-WATER  ACTIVITIES  OF 
CERTAIN  WATERFOWL 


By  EDWARD  HOWE  FORBUSH 

\\ 

Director,  Division  of  Ornithology 


Published  by  the 

DIVISION    OF    INFORMATIO 

JOHN  W.  PLAISTED,  Director 


BOSTON 

WRIGHT  &  POTTER  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS 

32  DERNE  STREET 

1922 


- 

SIOLOGY 

UBRARY 

€ 


PUBLICATION  OF  THIS  DOCUMENT 

APPROVED  BY  THE 
SUPERVISOR  OF  ADMINISTRATION. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction        .       .-       .-      .       .       .       .       .  4    .       .       .       .  ,     5 

Under-water  progression  of  Grebes         .......  6 

Under-water  swimming  of  Loons     .....       I       ..  16 

Under-water  movements  of  Cormorants        .       ,..       .       ,.       .       .  25 

Under-water  movements  of  the  Water-Turkey     .     •  .       .       .       .  29 

Do  wounded  diving  birds  ever  commit  suicide      ...       .       ...  34 


47645 


A  PRELIMINARY  REPORT  ON  SOME  UNDER-WATER 
ACTIVITIES  OF  CERTAIN  WATERFOWL. 


EDWARD   HOWE    FORBUSH,  DIRECTOR,  DIVISION   OF   ORNITHOLOGY. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  preparing  a  work  on  Massachusetts  birds  it  became  nec- 
essary to  settle  some  questions  regarding  the  habits  of  birds 
in  respect  to  which  the  statements  of  ornithologists  do  not 
agree.  For  example,  ornithologists  have  gone  on  record  with 
statements  to  the  effect  that  the  Coot,  Brant,  Gadwall  or  other 
waterfowl  never  dive;  that  grebes  and  certain  other  birds  never 
use  the  wings  for  propulsion  under  water;  that  Wood  Ducks 
and  other  arboreal  nesting  ducks  do  not  carry  the  young  from 
the  nest  to  the  water,  etc.  Such  statements  have  been  made 
by  men  whom  ornithologists  respect,  but  they  should  not  have 
been  made,  as  there  is  no  possibility  of  proving  them,  and  they 
are  very  likely  to  be  misleading,  to  say  the  least. 

He  who  says  that  a  bird  never  does  what  it  is  possible  for 
that  bird  to  do  is  assuming  too  much  knowledge  for  mortal 
man.  We  may  well  record  what  we  have  seen  birds  do,  or 
report  what  any  trustworthy  observer  has  seen,  but  if  we 
attempt  to  deny  that  a  bird  does  this  or  that,  or  to  base  any 
theory  on  such  an  assumption,  the  burden  of  proof  is  on  our 
heads,  and  sooner  or  later  we  may  find  ourselves  in  error. 

Birds'  habits  vary  according  to  circumstances  and  localities. 
Individual  temperaments  and  behavior  differ  greatly.  No  de- 
scription of  the  habits  of  a  bird  will  do  for  all  conditions  and 
for  all  parts  of  its  range.  Some  statements  were  made  in  my 
"History  of  the  Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds" 
which  have  been  adversely  criticised.  In  nearly  every  case 
prior  investigation  or  observation  had  convinced  me  that 
they  were  correct.  It  was  learned  afterward,  however,  that 
the  behavior  of  certain  ducks  in  the  east  was  quite  different 
from  that  of  the  same  species  in  parts  of  the  south  and  west, 


while  in  other  respects  there  was  a  great  disparity  in  the 
habits  of  different  individuals  or  of  the  same  individuals  under 
different  circumstances. 

During  the  past  two  years  certain  disputed  habits  have  been 
investigated  by  sending  out  questionnaires  over  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  To  meet  the  objection  that  no  depend- 
ence can  be  placed  on  the  observations  of  untrained  persons, 
these  questionnaires  were  sent  mainly  to  accredited  observers 
of  the  Division  of  Ornithology,  and  Fellows,  Members  and 
Associates  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union.  Evidence 
included  in  their  replies  is  used  largely  in  the  report  that 
follows.  Among  the  subjects  under  inquiry  were  (1)  the  under- 
water progression  of  water  birds,  particularly  that  of  loons, 
grebes,  cormorants  and  the  Water-Turkey;  (2)  the  diving  of 
the  so-called  surface-feeding  ducks,  geese  and  swans;  (3)  the 
so-called  "suicide"  of  wounded  ducks;  and  (4)  the  manner  in 
which  the  young  of  tree-nesting  ducks  get  to  the  water.  A 
report  on  the  first  and  third  subjects  is  made  in  this  bulletin.  The 
fourth  is  treated  in  part  in  the  annual  report  of  the  Division  of 
Ornithology  for  1921. 

UNDER-WATER  PROGRESSION  OF  GREBES. 

While  most  ornithologists  agree  that  many  water  birds  such 
as  auks,  murres  and  certain  ducks  use  their  wings  for  pro- 
gression under  water,  there  is  much  disagreement  regarding 
some  other  diving  birds. 

Many  ornithologists  have  asserted  positively  that  grebes, 
loons,  cormorants  and  the  Water-Turkey  do  not  use  their 
wings  under  water.  As  one  advances  in  years,  he  learns  by 
experience  the  folly  of  such  negative  assertions.  The  birds 
are  not  aware  of  our  opinions  or  of  the  rules  that  we  lay  down 
for  their  behavior,  and  may  refuse  to  be  bound  by  our  state- 
ments regarding  how  they  should  conduct  themselves.  Never- 
theless, it  is  well  to  acknowledge  at  the  outset  that  those  who 
hold  to  the  opinion  that  grebes  never  use  their  wings  for  under- 
water progression  have  some  grounds  for  their  belief.  For  ex- 
ample, Mr.  Roy  Latham  of  Orient,  New  York,  informs  me  that 
he  has  seen  "hundreds"  of  Horned  Grebes  in  fish-traps  where 


the  under-water  movements  of  the  birds  could  be  watched,  and 
that  he  never  saw  one  use  its  wings  for  propulsion,  or  even  raise 
them  in  under-water  progression.  Others  have  kept  grebes 
in  tanks  or  in  shallow  water  and  have  never  seen  the  birds  use 
their  wings  at  all.  Mr.  Walter  B.  Johnstone,  Edge  wood, 
British  Columbia,  Mr.  A.  S.  Peters,  Lake  Wilson,  Minnesota, 
and  Mr.  E.  F.  Pope,  El  Reno,  Oklahoma,  have  had  abundant 
opportunity  to  study  grebes  under  water,  and  note  that  they 
never  saw  them  make  use  of  their  wings  in  swimming.  Mr. 
Harry  S.  Swarth,  Berkeley,  California,  writes  that  he  has 
watched  the  Western  Grebe  and  the  American  Eared  Grebe 
feeding  under  water.  The  Eared  Grebe  was  not  using  its 
wings,  and  the  Western  Grebe  apparently  was  not.  Major 
Allan  Brooks,  Okanagan  Landing,  British  Columbia,  says 
grebes  have  been  observed  closely,  and  no  sign  of  the  wings 
being  used  or  even  opened  under  water  has  been  seen.  Dr. 
Arthur  A.  Allen,  Ithaca,  New  York,  has  seen  Horned  Grebes 
and  also  Pied-billed  Grebes  under  w^ater  propelled  by  feet 
alone.  Mr.  Harry  A.  Cash,  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  says 
that  a  captive  Pied-billed  Grebe  that  he  kept  in  a  tank  did 
not  use  its  wings  for  swimming.  Dr.  John  B.  May,  Cohasset, 
Massachusetts,  caught  an  injured  Horned  Grebe.  It  did  not 
use  its  wings  under  water  when  swimming  in  a  bathtub.  Mr. 
Julian  K.  Potter,  Camden,  New  Jersey,  stood  on  a  river  bank 
some  10  or  15  feet  high  looking  down  at  a  Holboeirs  Grebe 
chasing  minnows  in  shallow  water.  No  motion  of  the  wings 
was  discernible.  Mr.  John  Hooper  Bowles,  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, noted  that  Pied-billed  Grebes  under  water  used  only 
their  feet.  Mr.  Chester  S.  Day,  Brookline,  Massachusetts, 
who  watched  chicks  of  the  Horned  Grebe  swimming  and  diving 
at  the  Magdalen  Islands,  says  that  they  kept  their  wings  close 
to  the  sides.  My  own  experience  corroborates  these  statements, 
as  I  have  seen  the  Horned  Grebe  and  the  Pied-billed  Grebe 
under  water  in  tanks  swimming  with  the  wings  held  close  to 
the  sides. 

At  first  glance,  all  this  looks  like  conclusive  evidence,  but 
unfortunately  for  the  negative  belief  others  have  noted  the  use 
of  the  wings  in  tanks,  though  rather  rarely,  and  many  have 
observed  the  wings  in  use  for  free  swimming  under  natural 
conditions,  either  in  the  sea  or  in  inland  waters. 


8 

Audubon  says  that  he  kept  two  Pied-billed  Grebes  in  a  large 
tub,  and  that  they  swam  like  puffins,  using  their  feet  and 
wings  "in  accordance/'  and  staying  a  long  time  under  water.1 

Reed  writes  as  follows  regarding  the  Pied-billed  Grebe :  • — 

In  my  bpyhood  I  frequently  cornered  these  birds  in  a  creek  or  small 
cove,  so  that  in  order  to  escape  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  swim  under 
the  boat.  At  these  times  we  could  plainly  see  their  mode  of  progression. 
They  flapped  their  wings  in  much  the  same  way  as  in  flying,  and  this  in 
addition  to  their  feet  is  what  gives  them  their  great  speed.  On  one  of 
these  occasions,  as  the  Grebe  was  going  under  the  boat,  my  companion 
in  his  excitement  leaped  overboard,  clothes  and  all.  By  some  accident 
he  happened  to  catch  the  bird  by  the  neck.2 

In  American  ornithological  literature  there  is  very  little  evi- 
dence of  this  habit  among  grebes,  but  fortunately  unpublished 
observations  are  not  lacking.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  in  charge  of 
economic  investigations  in  the  Biological  Survey,  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia,  says  that  he  has  seen  grebes  flying  under 
water  with  the  wings  fairly  well  extended,  but  he  does  not 
mention  the  species.  Mr.  William  L.  Finley,  Jennings  Lodge, 
Oregon,  says  that  in  1905  at  Lower  Klamath  Lake  he  saw  young 
Western  Grebes  swimming  under  water,  using  both  feet  and 
wings,  the  wings  in  quick  strokes.  Mr.  Wright  M.  Pierce, 
Claremont,  California,  writes  me  that  he  saw  an  Eared  Grebe 
swimming  in  the  water  under  thin  ice.  The  wings  were  half 
spread.  He  believed  that  the  foot-strokes  alternated  with  those 
of  the  wings.  The  bird  moved  faster  when  using  both  wings 
and  feet.  Mr.  J.  K.  Jensen,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  saw  in 
February,  1918,  an  Eared  Grebe  swimming  at  Arroyo  Hondo. 
The  wings,  he  says,  were  about  half  spread  and  worked  with 
quick  strokes.  The  feet  were  used  simultaneously  with  the 
wings.  Both  feet  were  used  together.  When  the  wings  were 
raised,  the  feet  were  drawn  up;  and  when  the  wings  were 
brought  close  to  the  body,  the  feet  struck  out  behind.  Both 
wings  and  feet  were  employed  all  the  time  that  he  wratched 
the  bird.  He  sketched  two  swimming  attitudes  of  the  bird  (see 
cut),  showing  the  extreme  positions  of  the  wings  and  feet  under 

1  Audubon,  J.  J.:  Ornithological  Biography,  Vol.  Ill,  1835,  p.  361. 

2  Reed,  Chester  A.:  American  Ornithology,  Vol.  1,  No.  8,  August,  1901,  p.  149. 


9 

water.     Mr.  A.  M.  Brooking,  Inland,  Nebraska,  says  that  he 

caught  a  wounded  Eared  Grebe.    This  bird  was  put  in  a  tank 

in   which    in   swimming    under   water    it 

used  its   half-spread    wings    with    short, 

quick  strokes.     The  feet  also  were  used. 

He  believes  that  they  alternated  with  the 

wings,  but  the  wings  were  so  rapidly  used 

that  he  was   not   sure.      The  bird  swam 

faster  with  both  wings  and  feet  than  when 

Using  feet  Only.  First  and  second  extreme 


Holboell's  Grebe   does    not  offer  many       v0**0™  of  8wimmljng 

grebe  under  water,  when 
Opportunities  tO  those  Who    Wish  tO  Watch  using     both     feet     and 

its  under-water  activities  on  the  Atlantic       j?^Jensen.)  n 
coast.    As  a  rule,  it  is  shy  and  keeps  to 

wide  waters,  but  on  its  breeding-grounds  in  the  shallow  sloughs 
of  the  prairies  it  has  been  seen  to  swim  very  rapidly  under  water 
by  the  use  of  its  feet  alone.  In  the  winter  of  1912  Mr.  A.  R. 
Cahn  of  Chicago  had  an  almost  unprecedented  opportunity  to 
watch  the  activities  of  this  species  under  thin  ice.  Cayuga  Lake 
in  Western  New  York,  a  body  of  water  40  miles  in  length,  was 
frozen  over  for  the  first  time  in  years,  and  many  Holboell's 
Grebes  were  trapped  there  by  the  ice.  A  single  bird  of  this 
species  was  found  alive  in  a  small  patch  of  open  water  in  Fall 
Creek,  below  Ithaca  Falls,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  thin  ice 
and  on  the  fourth  by  ice  strong  enough  to  bear  a  man.  The  bird 
could  not  escape,  as  the  water  hole  was  too  small  for  it  to  get 
headway  enough  on  the  surface  to  rise  on  the  wing  and  it  could 
not  rise  from  the  ice.  Mr.  Cahn  stood  on  the  ice  by  the  open 
hole  and  watched  the  diving  bird  in  the  clear  water  below.  The 
neck  was  extended  to  its  full  length  and  both  wings  and  feet  were 
used.  The  speed  of  the  bird,  he  says,  was  marvelous,  "  at  times 
it  being  almost  impossible  to  follow  its  movements."  Mr. 
Cahn  writes  me  that  the  wings  were  about  half  open  and  were 
used  with  quick  strokes.1 

Mr.  Frank  Walters  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  H.  H.  Ballard  of 
Pittsfield  (printed  in  the  "Berkshire  Eagle,"  a  Pittsfield  news- 
paper) tells  of  a  capture  of  Holboell's  Grebe  on  March  4,  1912, 
in  South  Sandisfield,  Massachusetts.  The  bird  was  in  a  little 

i  Cahn,  A.  R.:  Auk,  Vol.  XXIX,  No.  4,  October,  1912,  p.  440. 


10 


brook.     To  escape,   it  swam  in  a  small  narrow  strip  of  open 
water.    Mr.  Walters  writes :  — 

This  bird  used  its  wings  continually  while  swimming,  using  them 
much  in  the  same  manner  as  if  in  the  air.  .  .  .  While  the  bird  was  in 
the  water,  I  ran  along  the  edge  of  the  ice  and  had  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  observe  this  use  of  the  wings,  as  the  bird  was  almost  at  my 
feet. l 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Barnes,  Bayonne,  New  Jersey,  writes  that  in 
October,  1920,  at  Knops  Pond,  Groton,  Massachusetts,  a 
Holboell's  Grebe  dived  and  swam  beneath  his  skiff.  Although 
the  flickering  shadows  lessened  the  accuracy  of  observation,  it 
seemed  that  the  bird  used  both  feet  and  wings  with  great  speed, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of  the  Pied-billed  Grebe. 

My  attention  was  first  called  to  the  use  of  the  wings  of  grebes 
under  water  by  Mr.  Charles  W.  Vibert,  South  Windsor,  Con- 


winter.  Summer. 

HORNED  GREBE  (Colymbus  auritus). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
This  species,  like  other  grebes,  uses  both  feet  and  wings  at  times  for  propulsion  under  water. 

necticut,  who  wrote  me  about  ten  years  ago  that  he  had  been 
keeping  a  Horned  Grebe  alive  in  a  tank,  and  that  it  often  raised 
its  wings  slightly  when  swimming  under  water.  Late  in 
November,  1917,  Mr.  C.  A.  Clark,  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  called 
on  me  and  said  that  he  had  just  come  in  from  the  Lynn  Woods. 

1  Faxon,  Walter  and  Hoffman,  Ralph:  Supplementary  Notes  on  the  Birds  of  Berkshire  County, 
Massachusetts.    Auk,  Vol.  XXXIX,  No.  1,  January,  1922,  pp.  71,  72. 


11 

When  at  Lake  Walden,  sitting  on  a  height  overlooking  the  lake, 
he  said  that  he  looked  down  into  the  water  and  saw  two 
Horned  Grebes  pursuing  fish.  The  fish,  which  were  there  in 
great  numbers,  seemed  to  be  pond  minnows.  Mr.  Clark  said 
that  he  could  see  the  under-water  movements  of  both  birds  and 
fish  clearly.  The  birds  seemed  to  open  their  wings  partly  and 
use  them  with  quick,  strong  strokes  in  pursuing  the  fish  under 
water.  In  catching  the  fish  they  darted  the  head  and  neck 
to  right  and  left.  Mr.  Clark's  notes  were  taken  down  at  the 
time.  In  June,  1921,  when  I  began  to  investigate  the  matter 
more  fully,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Clark's  companion  on  the  Lynn 
Woods  trip,  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bates  of  Lynn.  He  remembered  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  especially  the  perfect  situation  where 
they  had  observed  the  birds,  which  was  on  an  elevated  promon- 
tory from  which,  with  the  sun  at  their  backs,  they  looked  down 
at  the  birds  so  that  their  course  through  the  water  could  be 
followed  easily.  He  was  not  then  aware  of  the  importance  of 
the  observation.  He  recalls  that  the  birds  moved  with  mar- 
velous speed,  but  he  does  not  now  remember  positively  whether 
or  not  they  used  their  wings. 

Mr.  Ludlow  Griscom  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  once  saw  a  Horned  Grebe  off  a  Long  Island  beach 
"actually  flying  under  water"  while  catching  small  fish.  The 
wings  were  about  one-third  spread  and  used  in  quick  strokes; 
both  feet  were  used  also  and  struck  together  except  when 
turning  quickly:  then  only  one  was  used.  Mr.  Erie  L.  Brown, 
Bowdoinham,  Maine,  says  that  he  has  seen  Horned  Grebes 
several  times  using  both  wings  and  feet  under  water  at  Merry- 
meeting  Bay.  The  wings  were  used  with  quick  strokes,  and  the 
foot-strokes  alternated  one  after  the  other.  The  birds  swam 
faster,  he  says,  with  wings  and  feet  than  they  did  with  feet 
alone.  Mr.  Ralph  Lawson,  secretary  of  the  Essex  County 
Ornithological  Club,  Salem,  Massachusetts,  watched  from  a  high 
wharf  a  Horned  Grebe  in  the  harbor  of  Cutler,  Maine.  The  bird 
was  feeding  along  the  bottom,  pursuing  an  irregular  course,  and 
using  both  feet  and  wings.  It  seemed  to  be  picking  up  some- 
thing from  the  bottom.  Mr.  Stanley  G.  Jewett,  Portland, 
Oregon,  says  that  in  March,  1916,  at  Netarts  Bay,  Oregon,  he 
saw  a  Horned  Grebe  swimming  under  water  with  wings  about 


12 

half  spread  and  used  with  quick  strokes.  The  feet  also  were 
used,  both  feet  striking  together,  apparently  alternating  with 
the  wings.  When  the  bird  used  its  wings  it  swam  faster  than 
when  using  the  feet  alone.  Rev.  Charles  J.  Young  reports  that 
in  May  and  June,  1920,  at  the  head  of  Brighton  Bay,  Lake 
Ontario,  where  Horned  Grebes  breed  commonly,  he  saw  them 
swimming  under  water  with  the  wings  partially  spread  and 
moved  with  slow  strokes.  The  feet  apparently  were  not  used, 
except  possibly  as  a  rudder,  as  they  were  extended  straight  out 
behind. 

Mr.  Waldo  L.  McAtee,  the  well-known  economic  ornitholo- 
gist of  the  Biological  Survey,  notes  that  in  1903  he  saw  a  Pied- 
billed  Grebe  swimming  with  wings  spread  at  least  at  right  angles 
to  the  body  and  "  stroked  rapidly."  He  believed  that  the  feet 
also  were  used. 

There  is  more  evidence  regarding  the  subsurface  movements 
of  the  Pied-billed  Grebe  than  of  any  other,  as  this  is  the  most 
generally  common  and  widely  distributed  grebe  breeding  in 
the  United  States.  Dr.  Walter  H.  Scudder,  Litchfield,  Ohio, 
reporting  on  an  unwounded  Pied-billed  Grebe  that  he  kept  in  a 
tank,  says  that  in  swimming  under  water  it  raised  the  wings 
and  held  them  along  the  sides  of  the  body,  so  that  they  acted 
like  the  blades  of  a  turbine,  the  water  passing  under  them  at 
the  shoulder  and  gliding  along  their  under  sides  and  out  behind 
with  a  swirl.  The  feet  also  were  used,  and  the  quick  strokes 
alternated  almost  faster  than  the  eye  could  follow.  The  bird 
used  the  wings  and  feet  in  this  way  all  the  time,  so  far  as  he 
could  determine,  and  swam  with  great  speed.  Mr.  H.  E. 
Tuttle,  Groton,  Massachusetts,  speaks  of  pursuing  at  Huron 
Mountain,  Michigan,  a  Pied-billed  Grebe  which  passed  under 
his  canoe.  He  attempted  to  catch  the  bird  in  a  landing-net. 
It  was  using  its  wings.  He  could  not  tell  whether  the  feet  were 
used  or  not.  The  speed  of  the  bird  was  undoubtedly  acceler- 
ated by  the  fact  that  it  was  pursued. 

Mr.  George  M.  Sutton  of  the  Carnegie  Museum  at  Pitts- 
burgh says  that  young  Pied-billed  Grebes  in  a  small  pond  near 
Winnebago  City,  Minnesota,  used  their  wings  constantly.  As 
he  remembers  it,  the  wings  were  not  fully  spread  most  of  the 
time,  but  only  when  occasion  demanded.  Both  wings  and  feet 


13 

were  used.  When  closely  pressed  the  birds  used  their  wings  to 
advantage  in  increasing  their  speed.  Mr.  Ralph  H.  Holman, 
Wellesley  Hills,  Massachusetts,  makes  note  of  an  occurrence 
in  the  autumn  of  about  1890,  when  he  saw  a  Pied-billed  Grebe 
in  Lake  Quinsigamond,  Worcester,  Massachusetts.  The  wings 
were  about  half  spread  and  used  with  quick  strokes.  Mr. 
David  H.  Scott,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  reports  that  in  the  fall  of 
1918,  at  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  he  saw  a  Pied-billed  Grebe  swim- 
ming beneath  a  bridge  on  which  he  was  standing.  The  bird 
was  in  clear  water  and  only  two  or  three  feet  below  the  surface. 
According  to  his  notes  of  observation  the  wings  were  not  over 
half  extended,  and  they  beat  very  fast  in  short,  quick  strokes. 
Both  wings  and  feet  were  used,  the  feet  alternating  as  in 
walking.  A  beat  of  the  wings  seemed  to  go  with  each  stroke 
of  a  foot,  the  feet  moving  more  slowly  in  comparison  to  the 
wings. 

Mr.  Robert  O.  Morris,  the  well-known  ornithologist  of 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  writes  that  he  saw  a  Pied-billed 
Grebe,  which  spent  a  number  of  weeks  in  small  ponds  in  Forest 
Park,  Springfield,  and  became  quite  tame.  Apparently  it  used 
its  wings  under  water.  Mr.  Scott  Harrison,  Lawrenceville, 
Illinois,  says  he  has  seen  Pied-billed  Grebes  with  wings  spread 
under  water,  but  did  not  note  how  the  wings  were  used.  Mr. 
Charles  L.  Phillips,  Taunton,  Massachusetts,  found  a  Pied- 
billed  Grebe  on  October  10,  1885,  at  Dighton,  Massachusetts, 
concealed  under  a  bank  of  a  small  stream.  Upon  his  quiet 
approach  the  bird  swam  out  under  water.  As  it  swam  away, 
the  wings  were  about  half  extended,  and  were  used  in  short, 
quick  strokes  apparently  in  unison  with  the  feet.  It  moved 
very  fast  in  two  or  three  feet  of  water.  Mr.  George  L.  Fordyce, 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  reports  that  he  was  in  a  boat  approaching  a 
narrow  inlet  to  a  small  bay  in  which  was  a  Pied-billed  Grebe. 
The  Grebe  dived  and  as  Mr.  Fordyce  rose  in  the  boat,  he  saw 
the  bird  swim  beneath,  using  its  wings  and  moving  fast.  He-saw 
no  motion  of  the  feet,  but  the  wings  seemed  to  be  used  much 
as  a  swimmer  uses  his  arms,  although  not  so  rapidly  as  in 
flight.  Mr.  Edward  S.  Butler,  Baines,  Louisiana,  in  1918, 
observed  a  Pied-billed  Grebe  swimming  under  water  in  a  creek 
near  his  home.  He  says,  "I  think  the  wings  were  fully  spread 


14 

and  used  with  quick  strokes;"  but  he  is  not  positive  as  to  just 
how  much  they  were  spread.  The  feet  also  were  used,  and 
the  strokes  seemed  to  alternate  with  those  of  the  wings.  Mr. 
Bonnycastle  Dale,  The  Hawk,  Cape  Sable,  Nova  Scotia,  writes 
me  that  while  standing  on  a  bridge  over  the  Sooke  River  in 
British  Columbia  he  saw  a  Pied-billed  Grebe  coming  up  swiftly 
through  the  clear  water.  Soon  it  dived  and  swam  down  by 
using  its  wings  with  strong  sweeps  "just  as  a  diving  man  would 
use  his  arms."  It  soon  reached  the  bottom  and  kept  itself  in 
an  inverted  position  by  "treading  water  upward,"  or  kicking 
toward  the  surface.  While  thus  holding  itself  in  place  with  its 
feet  it  turned  over  small  stones  with  its  bill,  evidently  seeking 
the  little  crabs  with  which  this  river  abounds  below  the  limit 
of  tidewater.  Mr.  Dale  believed  the  river  to  be  about  20  feet 
deep  at  this  point,  and  was  certain  that  the  bird  used  only  its 
wings  to  take  it  down  and  only  its  feet  to  keep  it  in  position. 
In  coming  up  it  did  not  appear  to  use  either  wings  or  feet,  but 
seemed  to  shoot  up  by  means  of  its  buoyancy. 

Mr.  Alfred  Cookman,  San  Diego,  California,  reports  that 
on  April  15,  1916,  while  watching  from  a  blind  on  the  shore  of  a 
slough  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  diving  habits  of  the 
Ruddy  Duck,  he  saw  a  male  Pied-billed  Grebe  on  the  water 
within  10  feet  of  the  blind.  The  bird  suddenly  dived.  Both 
water  and  sky  were  clear.  The  hour  was  10.30  A.M.,  and  the 
average  depth  of  the  water  was  3  feet.  "The  bird  dived  at  an 
angle,  using  its  wings  as  a  seal  would  use  its  flappers;  broad 
strokes;  vigorous  action;  feet  not  used.  He  went  to  the  very 
bottom,  turned  sharply,  rose  at  an  angle  and  vanished.  Mud 
came  to  the  surface.  The  depth  at  that  point  was  2  feet  3 
inches."  As  the  bird  struck  out  after  reaching  bottom,  Mr. 
Cookman  notes  that  it  paddled  with  its  feet,  and  that  the 
wings  moved  forward  and  backward  laterally  with  rapid  strokes, 
about  one  beat  of  the  wings  to  every  downward  paddle  of  the 
feet.  In  twenty  seconds  the  bird  appeared  on  the  surface  at  a 
distance  of  about  40  yards.  This  observation  was  made  on  the 
east  branch  of  Nigger  Slough,  Los  Angeles  County,  California. 
He  also  has  watched  several  Pied-billed  Grebes  in  Dominiguez 
Slough  in  the  same  county,  and  from  his  experience  expresses 
the  belief  that  this  species  uses  its  wings  mainly  for  locomo- 
tion beneath  the  surface. 


15 

Mr.  J.  Warren  Jacobs,  Waynesburg,  Pennsylvania,  watched 
a  Pied-billed  Grebe  diving  in  the  clear  water  of  Tenmile  Creek, 
south  of  Waynesburg.  He  was  with  a  companion,  and  both 
threw  stones  at  the  bird,  not  to  injure  it  but  to  see  it  dive. 
They  followed  it,  one  on  either  side  of  the  creek.  It  came  up 
twice  near  where  Mr.  Jacobs  stood  on  a  high  bank.  It  used  its 
wings  both  in  rising  and  diving.  Mr.  Jacobs  says :  — 

While  it  was  under  water,  we  moved  to  where  we  surmised  the  bird 
would  appear,  and  sometimes  we  guessed  right. 

As  some  authorities  insist  that  European  grebes  do  not  use 
the  wings  under  water,  some  evidence  from  European  sources 
may  be  introduced  to  show  that  this  statement  is  erroneous. 

Johns,  writing  of  the  Little  Grebe,  says:  — 

It  seeks  safety,  and  this  it  finds  first  by  diving  and  then  by  propelling 
itself  by  its  wings  under  water. 

He  describes  a  large,  beautiful  spring,  clear  as  crystal,  and 
says:  — 

I  was  once  bending  over  the  bank  of  this  spring  with  a  friend,  watching 
the  water  some  5  or  6  feet  down,  .  .  .  when  there  suddenly  passed 
between  us  and  the  bottom  a  form  so  strange  that  we  were  at  first  doubt- 
ful to  what  class  of  animals  we  should  refer  it.  In  reality  it  was  a  Dab- 
chick,  which,  alarmed  probably  by  the  noise  'of  our  conversation,  was 
making  for  a  place  of  safety.  As  it  passed  within  2  or  3  feet  of  our  faces, 
we  could  distinctly  see  that  it  propelled  itself  by  its  wings. l 

The  bird  did  not   see  them,  so  was   not  greatly  frightened. 

My  assistant,  Mr.  Arthur  J.  Parker,  says  that  once  on  the 
Trent  River  in  England  he  watched  a  Little  Grebe  swim 
directly  under  a  bridge  on  which  he  was  standing  and  about  3 
feet  below  the  surface.  The  progress  looked  more  like  flying 
than  swimming,  —  the  feet  were  not  visible,  but  the  wings 
were  used  in  a  uniform  succession  of  strokes,  being  quite 
widely  though  perhaps  not  fully  expanded  for  each  propulsion. 
More  evidence  might  be  given,  but  enough  has  been  adduced 
to  disprove  the  assertion  that  grebes  do  not  use  their  wings  in 
under-water  progression. 

1  Johns,  Rev.  C.  A.:  British  Birds  in  their  Haunts,  1909,  p.  303. 


16 


UNDER- WATER  SWIMMING  OF  LOONS. 

A  number  of  my  correspondents  have  made  observations 
which  might  sustain  the  belief  that  loons  do  not  use  their  wings 
under  water.  Mr.  William  E.  Praeger,  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
and  Mr.  Walter  B.  Johnstone  give  testimony  to  sustain  this 


Summer. 
LOON  (Gavia  immer). 


Winter. 


(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
The  Loon  uses  both  wings  and  feet  in  diving  and  swimming  beneath  the  surface. 

contention.  Mr.  Lee  S.  Crandall  of  the  New  York  Zoological 
Park  says  that  he  has  observed  Loons  (Great  Northern  Divers) 
in  a  glass  tank,  and  so  far  as  can  be  seen  the  wings  are  not 
used.  Mr.  Roy  Latham  says  that  he  has  observed  many 
Loons  in  fish-traps.  He  asserts  that  the  wings  are  not  used 
there  but  are  sometimes  slightly  lifted  and '  held  motionless. 
Dr.  Charles  H.  Townsend  of  New  York  City,  in  the  Bulletin 
of  the  New  York  Zoological  Society  (April,  1908,  page  418), 
asserts  that  a  Loon  which  was  received  in  September,  1907,  at 
the  aquarium,  of  which  he  is  the  director,  and  which  was  kept 
in  one  of  the  large  salt-water  pools,  swam  under  water  with 
wings  closely  folded  and  never  in  use.  Professor  Lynds  Jones, 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  notes  that  in  the  summer  of  1904  he  watched  a 
Loon  in  a  big  tank  at  Woods  Hole,  Massachusetts.  This  bird, 


17 

he  says,  never  used  its  wings  in  swimming,  although  it  swam 
with  incredible  swiftness.  Mr.  Harry  A.  Cash,  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  saw  a  Loon  on  Cape  Cod  pass  out  through  a 
narrow,  shallow  stream  in  making  its  escape  to  the  open  water. 
This  bird  swam  under  the  w^ater,  but  did  not  use  its  wings. 
It  was  not  wounded  and  had  not  been  frightened  by  shooting. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  literature  of  American  ornithology  there 
are  a  few  observations  regarding  the  under-water  use  of  the 
wings  by  Loons.  Audubon  says :  — 

Having  myself  seen  Loons  pass  and  repass  under  boats,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  several  feet  from  the  surface,  and  propel  themselves  both  with 
their  feet  and  their  half-extended  wings,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
when  not  wounded  and  when  pursuing  their  prey,  they  usually  employ 
all  their  limbs. l 

Xuttall  writes  as  follows  about  a  Loon  which  he  kept  in  a 
fish-pond,  which  was  an  indefatigable  diver:  — 

and  would  remain  down  sometimes  for  several  minutes,  often  swimming 
under  water,  and,  as  it  were,  flying  with  the  velocity  of  an  arrow  in  the 
air.2 

Dr.  Suckley  followed  a  slightly  wounded  Red-throated  Loon 
along  the  banks  of  a  shallow  lagoon  from  which  it  attempted 
to  escape  into  the  open  waters  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  He  was 
obliged  to  "run  as  fast  as  possible  to  keep  up  with  it."  The 
water  was  clear  and  shallow  and  he  could  see  its  motions  dis- 
tinctly. "The  head  and  neck  were  extended  nearly  straight, 
and,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  propulsion  by  the  feet,"  the 
bird  "used  the  wings  exactly  as  if  flying."3 

Dr.  Coues,  who  had  an  excellent  opportunity  in  1865  to 
watch  Pacific  Loons  in  the  Bay  of  San  Pedro  in  southern 
California,  says  that  these  birds  were  remarkably  numerous  and 
very  tame.  He  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  all  the  specimens 
that  he  wanted  or  in  watching  their  under-water  activities.  He 
states  that  he  could  follow  their  course  and  "see  them  shoot 
with  marvelous  swiftness  through  the  limpid  element,  as,  urged 

1  Audubon,  J.  J.:  Ornithological  Biography,  Vol.  IV,  1838,  p.  51. 

2  Chamberlain,  Montague:  A  Popular  Handbook  of  the  Ornithology  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  based  on  Nuttall's  Manual,  Vol.  2,  1891,  p.  393. 

3  Suckley,  George,  and  Cooper,  James  Graham:   The  Natural  History  of  Washington  Terri- 
tory and  Oregon,  1860,  p.  280. 


18 


by  powerful  strokes  of  the  webbed  feet  and  beats  of  the  half- 
opened  wings,  they  flew  rather  than  swam."  He  saw  them 
catch  fish  in  this  manner  and  lightly  rise  to  the  surface  again.1 

Dr.  T.  S.  Palmer's  observations  corroborate  those  of  Dr. 
Coues.  In  the  spring  of  1885  he  had  an  unusual  opportunity 
to  watch  the  subsurface  behavior  of  the  same  species  in  Bodega 
Bay,  California.  The  mode  of  progression,  he  says,  with  both 
feet  and  wings,  might  be  described  as  partly  swimming  and 
partly  flying,  the  wings  being  somewhat  extended  so  that  the 
birds  were  able  to  make  rapid  progress. 

Goss  avers  that  he  often  lay  upon  a  railroad  track  at  its 
crossing  of  a  narrow  outlet  to  a  small  pond  and  watched  the 


Winter. 


Summer. 


RED-THROATED  LOON  (Gavia  stellata). 

(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

This  species,  like  other  loons,  uses  both  wings  and  feet  in  under-water  progression. 


Loons  pass  and  repass,  invariably  coming  and  going  with  the 
tide.  As  they  approached  the  outlet,  "they  would  dive  at  a 
safe  distance  and  with  the  aid  of  their  wings  fly  beneath  its 
surface  with  the  speed  of  an  arrow;  making  the  water  fairly 
boil  around  them,  and  leaving  in  their  wake  a  silvery  streak  of 
bubbles." 2 

1  Coues,  Elliott:  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  1874,  p.  723. 

2  Goss,  N.  S.:  History  of  the  Birds  of  Kansas,  1891,  p.  17. 


19 

There  is  some  evidence  from  European  writers  that  loons 
use  their  wings  in  diving  and  swimming.  Johns  says :  — 

I  am  informed  by  a  friend  that  while  fishing  in  a  boat  in  calm  water 
off  the  coast  of  North  Devon,  he  has  many  times  seen  Divers  {Red-throated 
Loons]  pass  through  the  water,  at  a  considerable  depth  below,  propelling 
themselves  by  a  free  and  active  use  of  their  wings.1 

Dresser  says  of  the  Red-throated  Loon:  — 

When  it  dives  it  ...  propels  itself  along  with  its  wings  as  well  as 
with  its  feet.2 

MacGilli vray  says  of  this  species :  — 

Under  the  water  it  pursues  its  way  with  great  speed,  using  its  wings 
as  well  as  its  feet.3 

Mr.  Alfred  Cookman,  San  Diego,  California,  asserts  that  the 
Red-throated  Loon  uses  the  feet  "alternately  with  the  wings." 

Many  of  my  correspondents  who  have  had  opportunities  to 
observe  Loons  swimming  below  the  surface  report  similar  use  of 
the  wings. 

Dr.  B.  Harry  Warren,  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  reports 
that  he  has  seen  Loons  using  their  wings  under  water. 

Mr.  Erie  L.  Brown,  State  Game  Warden,  Bowdoinham, 
Maine,  who  saw  in  the  spring  of  1921  a  Loon  swimming  be- 
neath the  surface,  says  that  the  "first  joint"  of  the  wing  was 
used  in  quick  strokes;  that  both  wings  and  feet  were  used  and 
that  the  strokes  of  the  feet  alternated  one  after  the  other,  also 
that  the  Loon  swam  faster  when  using  the  wings  than  when 
using  the  feet  alone.  Dr.  Walter  H.  Scudder  in  1886  watched 
a  Loon  swimming  in  a  canal  lock  at  Akron,  Ohio.  This  bird 
raised  its  wings  and  held  them  stationary,  while  it  propelled 
itself  with  its  feet.  Mr.  Ralph  Lawson  writes  that  on  several 
occasions  he  has  seen  Loons  use  their  wings  under  water;  and 
has  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  common  means  of  covering  distance 
quickly  when  occasion  demands.  He  mentions  a  particular 
instance  when  with  one  companion  he  pursued  a  Loon  in 

1  Johns,  C.  A.:  British  Birds  in  their  Haunts,  1909,  p.  297. 

2  Dresser,  H.  E.:  Birds  of  Europe,  Vol.  VIII,  1871-1881,  p.  625. 

3  MacGillivray,  Wm.:  British  Birds,  Vol.  V,  1852,  p.  304. 


20 

Thorndike  Pond,  Jaffrey,  New  Hampshire.  They  were  in  a 
canoe,  and  seeing  the  bird  in  the  pond  decided  to  chase  it, 
knowing  that  the  absence  of  wind  would  make  it  difficult  if  not 
impossible  for  it  to  fly.  They  followed  it  for  more  than  half 
an  hour,  and  several  times  saw  it  pass  directly  under  the  boat. 
On  each  occasion  the  bird  was  using  its  wings  with  what  Mr. 
Lawson  calls  "half-strokes."  The  occupants  of  the  canoe  were 
skilled  paddlers,  and  finally  pressed  the  Loon  so  closely  that  it 
was  unable  to  stay  under  water  long,  and  its  labored  breathing 
could  be  distinctly  heard. 

Mr.  Winthrop  Sprague  Brooks  of  the  Boston  Society  of 
Natural  History  asserts  that  years  ago  he  saw  a  Loon  in  a 
tank  at  Woods  Hole,  Massachusetts,  and  that,  as  he  remembers, 
it  used  its  wings  exclusively  under  water.  Mr.  Henry  W. 
Abbott  of  Boston  tells  of  a  wounded  Loon  that  fell  on  the  sand 
beach  at  Pine  Point,  Maine.  He  landed  from  his  boat  and  the 
Loon  reached  a  narrow  rivulet  and  swam  under  water  with 
both  feet  and  one  wing.  The  other  wing  presumably  was 
injured.  Under  these  circumstances  the  Loon  swam  in  a  circle. 

Mr.  A.  B.  Howell,  Pasadena,  California,  says  that  a  wounded 
Loon  swam  under  his  boat  when  he  had  the  bird  partly 
cornered,  and,  as  the  surface  of  the  water  was  ruffled,  all  that 
he  could  be  sure  of  was  that  the  bird  used  its  wings  in  some 
way. 

Rev.  Charles  J.  Young,  Brighton,  Ontario,  asserts  that  he 
has  seen  Loons  swimming  below  the  surface  at  Lake  Ontario. 
This  occurred  in  June,  1921.  The  wings  were  used  with  slow 
strokes. 

Mr.  Nathan  F.  Leopold,  Jr.,  of  Chicago  writes  that  he  saw  a 
Loon  at  Plum  Lake,  Wisconsin,  swimming  and  using  its  wings 
under  water.  It  was  a  common  breeder  there  and  allowed  close 
approach  in  a  canoe.  The  wings  were  only  slightly  spread  and 
were  moving  in  quick  strokes.  The  feet  were  used  with  the 
wings,  and  he  believes  that  the  bird  swam  faster  with  the  aid 
of  the  wings  than  with  the  feet  alone. 

Mr.  Albert  W.  Honywill,  Jr.,  Hartford,  Connecticut,  reports 
that  he  observed  a  wounded  Loon  swimming  under  water.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  capture  it  from  the  launch  but  it  dived 
and  swam  past  the  side  of  the  boat  3  or  4  feet  below  the 


21 

surface  and  about  10  feet  distant.  The  wings  were  used  quite 
rapidly  and  were  approximately  half  opened,  as  nearly  as  he 
could  determine.  Both  wings  and  feet  were  used.  The  wings 
and  feet  appeared  to  co-ordinate,  and  made  the  back-stroke  in 
unison. 

Mr.  Bertram  S.  Griffin,  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  notes  that 
in  July,  1900,  one  of  his  friends  saw  a  Loon  using  its  wings 
under  water  at  Bear  Pond,  South  Waterford,  Maine.  The 
wings  were  half  spread  and  used  in  quick  strokes  and  with  the 
feet.  His  friend  has  observed  this  on  several  occasions. 

Mr.  Arthur  W.  Beckford,  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  writes 
that  he  saw  a  Loon  swimming  under  water  in  a  narrow  salt- 
water stream,  and  using  its  wings  when  followed  by  a  power 
boat.  Quick,  short  strokes  were  employed,  but  he  believes  that 
the  wings  were  used  more  for  the  purpose  of  turning  than  for 
progression.  The  feet  also  were  utilized,  but  he  was  unable  to 
tell  whether  both  feet  and  wings  were  used  together. 

Mr.  Arthur  L.  Clark,  Ithaca,  New  York,  says  that  in  June, 
1911,  at  White's  bridge,  which  crosses  a  narrow  strip  of  water 
at  the  south  end  of  Sebago  Lake,  Maine,  he  saw  a  Loon 
swimming  four  or  five  feet  below  the  surface  and  against  the 
current. 

The  wings  were  not  fully  spread,  but  were  taking  about  half-strokes 
or  less,  i.e.,  short,  steady  strokes.  The  wing-beats  could  not  be  called 
quick,  but  rather  about  normal  for  a  Loon.  The  feet  were  not  seen. 

Mr.  Charles  K.  Averill,  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  says  that 
as  he  sat  on  a  rock  on  the  shore  of  a  small  lake  in  the  Adi- 
rondacks  a  Loon  passed  near  under  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  wings  were  spread,  but  not  so  widely  as  in  flight.  They 
were  used  with  a  motion  "much  slower  than  when  flying  and 
with  not  so  extensive  a  sweep." 

Dr.  William  C.  Braislin,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  says  that  he 
saw  a  wounded  Loon  in  shallow  water  in  Great  South  Bay, 
Long  Island.  The  wings  were  spread  to  less  than  half  their  ex- 
tent, he  thought,  and  in  locomotion  were  quickly  jerked  against 
the  sides  again.  They  were  used  to  supplement  the  feet  in 
swimming.  The  feet,  he  assumes,  were  the  chief  means  of 
locomotion,  but  doubtless  were  greatly  aided  by  the  wings, 


22 

judging  from  the  speed  made.  He  is  not  sure  that  all  strokes 
of  the  wings  and  feet  were  simultaneous,  as  he  saw  the  bird 
(while  near  at  hand)  quite  vertically,  as  he  was  sitting  in  the 
stern  of  a  small  boat,  the  Loon  passing  quickly  beneath;  but 
he  believes  that  they  were. 

Mr.  Edmund  W.  Arthur  of  Pittsburgh  observed  some  Loons 
in  July,  1917,  in  a  small  inlet  near  Manitou  Dock,  Georgian 
Bay,  Ontario.  There  were  two  adult  Loons  and  two  half- 
fledged  young.  Mr.  Arthur,  with  his  companion,  Hon.  R.  A. 
Kennedy,  pursued  one  of  the  young  birds  for  twenty  minutes 
or  more  with  a  rowboat,  hoping  to  tire  it.  During  a  large  part 
of  the  time,  writes  Mr.  Arthur,  it  was  seen  swimming  under 
water  within  4  to  10  feet  of  the  boat.  The  wings  were  raised 
apparently  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  body  in  making  the 
stroke.  Wings  and  feet  were  used  and  both  swept  back  to- 
gether. The  observers  did  not  see  the  feet  used  alone  at  any 
time.  Judge  Kennedy  told  Mr.  Arthur  that  he  had  had  similar 
experiences  on  two  prior  occasions. 

Mr.  John  L.  Cole,  Nevada,  Iowa,  writes  me  that  in  October, 
1906,  he  saw  a  Loon  in  an  ice  pond.  The  bird  did  not  fly,  but 
on  his  approach  dived,  making  use  of  its  wings  in  swimming 
under  water.  The  wings  were  half  extended  and  quick  strokes 
were  used.  Both  wings  and  feet  were  used,  and  moved  to- 
gether. The  wing  movements  were  very  pronounced  and  put 
one  very  much  in  mind  of  those  made  by  the  legs  of  a  frog 
when  swimming.  The  bird  swam  very  much  faster  when  using 
wings  and  feet  than  when  using  feet  alone. 

Dr.  William  S.  Bigelow,  56  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  writes 
that  in  1865  he  saw  a  loon,  species  unknown,  at  the  North 
Pond,  Tuckernuck  Island,  Massachusetts.  This  loon,  he  says, 
used  its  wide-spread  wings  under  water. 

Mr.  Owen  Durfee  of  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  reports  that 
on  July  4,  1915,  in  a  small  lake  in  Penobscot  County,  Maine,  he 
found  a  female  Loon  with  a  young  bird  evidently  only  a  few 
hours  old.  He  saw  the  little  bird  dive  and  swim  perhaps  30 
feet  under  water.  It  continued  diving  but  soon  became  tired, 
and  before  he  left  was  swimming  not  more  than  6  or  8  inches 
under  water  and  going  not  more  than  10  feet  at  a  time.  Ap- 
parently the  little  wings  were  held  out  froni  the  sides  and 


23 

worked  to  some  extent,  but,  not  fast.  The  feet  were  paddling 
alternately,  and  with  every  few  kicks  the  wings  were  simul- 
taneously struck  downward  and  held  half  open  again  during  a 
few  more  kicks  before  another  flap. 

Mr.  Kenneth  C.  Gurney,  East  Stoneham,  Maine,  reports  that 
he  saw  a  Loon  in  Keywadin  Lake  swimming  under  his  canoe 
with  the  wings  spread  about  8  inches  and  used  with  quick 
motions.  Apparently  only  the  "first  joint"  of  the  wing  was 
used.  The  bird  was  only  about  12  or  15  inches  below  the 
surface,  and  the  motion  of  the  wings  could  be  clearly  seen. 
Both  wings  and  feet  were  used.  The  feet  were  used  alternately. 
He  is  positive  that  the  bird  swam  very  much  faster  when  using 
the  wings  than  when  using  the  feet  alone. 

Mr.  B.  K.  Lewis,  North  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  writes 
that  he  headed  a  Loon  up  into  a  cove  where  the  water  was 
shallow  and  the  bottom  sandy.  The  bird  could  be  seen  very 
plainly.  It  seemed  to  make  a  backward  movement  with  its 
wings.  It  was  going  very  fast.  Mr.  Albert  A.  Cross  of  Hunt- 
ington,  Massachusetts,  says:  — 

I  have  seen  a  Loon  swimming  under  water  in  L'Assomption  River* 
Province  of  Quebec,  and  the  bird  used  its  wings,  keeping  them  extended 
and  vibrating  them  rapidly.  As  I  was  above  the  bird  I  could  not  see 
its  feet. 

Mr.  Bonnycastle  Dale  writes  as  follows  of  a  Loon  seen  in 
May,  1918,  at  Rice  Lake,  Ontario:  — 

In  approaching  the  Loon's  nest  we  got  in  front  of  the  bird,  which 
put  its  head  down,  stretched  out  its  neck  and  slid  off  the  nest  into  the 
water,  then  swam  right  under  the  canoe  within  about  2  feet  of  the  sur- 
face, the  water  being  about  4  feet  deep.  This  Loon  was  swimming  with 
its  wings  only,  its  legs  and  tail  apparently  straight  out  behind,  but  I 
could  not  see  the  legs.  The  first  Loon  I  saw  swimming  under  water 
was  off  this  same  shore.  We  were  in  a  canoe  searching  for  the  Loon's 
nest.  Suddenly  I  saw  right  under  us  a  big  white  thing,  which  at  first 
I  took  to  be  a  fish,  then  I  saw  it  was  a  big  bird  swimming  along,  with 
both  wings  stroking  swiftly.  We  paddled  to  the  shore,  some  100  feet 
away,  and  found  the  nest  and  the  warm  egg  that  the  bird  had  just  left. 

Dr.  L.  C.  Jones,  Falmouth,  Massachusetts,  says:  — 

I  have  often  observed  wounded  Loons  swimming  under  water,  and 
my  impression  is  that  short,  sharp  strokes  of  the  wings  were  used  ac- 


24 

cessory  to  the  action  of  the  feet,  particularly  when  they  were  exhausted 
and  frightened. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Weekes,  Harwich,  Massachusetts,  writes:  — 

Some  years  ago  at  Tiverton  River,  Rhode  Island,  I  noticed  a  Loon 
where  the  water  was  3  or  4  feet  deep,  and  the  seaweed  very  dense  and 
near  the  top  of  the  water.  This  Loon  was  moulting  and  could  not  fly. 
We  chased  it  with  the  boat  and  finally  caught  it.  The  water  was  very 
clear,  and  when  nearing  the  Loon  in  our  chase  the  bird  used  both  wings 
and  feet  while  under  water. 

Mr.  W.  A.  Matheson,  Harrington,  Rhode  Island,  writes,  re- 
garding the  same  Loon :  • — 

I  saw  the  Loon  which  passed  the  boat  at  arm's  length  about  8  or  10 
feet  under  water.  It  was  making  rapid  progress  with  wings  about  half 
extended,  and  seemed  to  fly  in  the  water.  It  must  have  also  used  its 
feet,  as  they  were  not  extended  back  with  the  tail. 

Major  Mark  Robinson,  Algonquin  Provincial  Park,  Ontario, 
says:- — 

I  will  give  you  my  experience  while  watching  a  Loon  pass  under  a 
bridge  on  which  I  was  standing.  This  Loon  was  quite  tame,  as  we  do 
not  allow  any  person  to  trouble  them.  It  will  sit  and  watch  us  at  10 
feet  distance,  swimming  easily.  It  uses  only  its  feet  to  swim,  but  in 
pursuit  of  fish,  etc.,  it  uses  the  wings,  keeping  the  long  points  of  the 
wings  close  to  the  body.  At  the  shoulder  the  wings  appear  to  open  to 
full  extent.  My  son  and  I  captured  a  pair  of  baby  Loons  by  following 
them  in  a  canoe.  The  young  Loons  did  not  use  their  feet  at  all  in  their 
frantic  efforts  to  escape,  and  in  their  case  the  end  of  the  wing  was  held 
close  to  the  body  with  full  play  at  the  shoulder.  I  have  questioned  old 
guides  and  bushmen  regarding  the  loon  under  water,  and  in  every  case 
their  reply  is,  "Of  course  they  use  their  wings  to  fish." 

Captain  George  H.  Mackay,  Jr.,  writes  that  since  Loons  have 
been  protected  in  spring  at  Nantucket  under  the  Migratory 
Bird  Treaty  Act,  they  have  become  very  tame,  and  come  close 
to  the  wharf  in  the  harbor.  In  January,  1921,  he  sat  on  the 
wharf  within  20  feet  of  a  Loon  which  was  diving  and  swimming 
under  water.  The  water  was  clear,  and  everything  that  the 
bird  did  could  be  seen.  The  Loon  used  its  wings,  spreading 
them  quite  widely,  but  perhaps  not  completely,  and  moved 


25 

very  fast  while  swimming  under  water.  It  was  diving  to  the 
bottom  and  catching  small  fish  there.  This,  he  says,  occurs 
very  often. 

UNDER-WATER  MOVEMENTS  OF  CORMORANTS. 

The  reader  who  has  followed  me  thus  far  has  noted  much 
conflicting  evidence  regarding  the  under-water  habits  of  grebes 
and  loons.  He  will  find  similar  contradictions  in  the  statements 
of  authors  and  observers  about  the  under-water  progression  of 
cormorants.  European  authors  do  not  agree  about  this. 
Headley  says,  referring  to  diving:  — 

The  Cormorant  uses  his  feet  alone  to  propel  him,  striking  with  both 
simultaneously,  and  holding  his  wings  motionless,  though  slightly  lifted 
from  the  body.  The  position  of  the  wings  must  have  given  rise  to  the 
idea,  common  among  fishermen,  that  the  Cormorant  flies  under  water. 
.  .  .  But  when  you  see  him  in  a  tank  you  can  have  no  doubt  that  the 
legs  are  the  propellers. l 

This  idea  that  a  bird  in  a  small  tank  will  act  exactly  as  it 
would  when  free  and  in  deep  water  has  caused  ornithologists 
to  draw  false  conclusions.  The  keen-eyed  fishermen  who  had 
watched  the  birds  in  their  native  haunts  doubtless  had  much 
better  opportunities  to  study  .their  unhampered  movements 
than  were  afforded  to  Headley  by  specimens  confined  in  the 
limited  area  of  a  tank.  One  might  as  well  study  the  habits  of 
an  eagle  in  a  flying  cage.  Both  the  cage  and  the  tank  offer 
exceptional  opportunities  for  observing  captives,  but  such  ob- 
servations should  never  be  regarded  as  conclusive  in  respect  to 
the  behavior  of  the  free  wild  creature. 

How  the  diving  habits  of  water  birds  may  be  modified  by 
confinement  in  a  tank  is  indicated  by  the  following  passage 
from  a  letter  from  Dr.  J.  E.  H.  Kelso,  Edgewood,  British 
Columbia:  — 

Some  years  ago,  in  the  London  Zoo,  I  came  across  an  interesting  case 
of  changed  habits  in  birds.  A  keeper  showed  me  a  tank  surrounded  by 
rock  work,  in  which  floated  some  guillemots.  When  feeding  time  came  a 
bucket  or  two  of  dead  or  moribund  small  fish  were  emptied  into  the 
tank.  The  birds  had  ^0  exert  ve/\  little  effort  to  secure  their  feed,  and 

i  Headley,  F.  W.:  Life  and  Evolution,  1907,  pp.  125,  126. 


26 

I  noticed  a  few  did  not  use,  or  hardly  used,  their  wings  under  water,  but 
could  easily  secure  the  fish  with  a  few  strokes  of  the  feet.  The  keeper 
assured  me  that  when  first  introduced  the  birds  all  used  the  wings  when 
swimming  below  the  surface,  but  he  thought  they  got  nervous  by  strik- 
ing their  pinions  against  the  glass,  and  soon  found  they  could  secure 
their  food  without  use  of  the  wings.  I  have  always  maintained  that 
there  is  little  use  in  observing  captives  in  regard  to  habits. 

Selous  says  of  Shags  observed  in  caverns  in  the  Shetland 
Islands  that  the  wings  were  not  used  at  all,  but  were  kept 
closed  all  the  time  while  he  watched.1  But  Seebohm  says  of  the 
same  species  that  it  uses  wings  as  well  as  feet  to  aid  in  the 
chase.2  Dixon  says  of  Cormorants  that  "they  seem  to  fly  as 
readily  under  the  water  as  through  the  air." 3 

MacGillivray  writes  as  follows  of  the  Green  Cormorant:  — 

On  looking  down  [in  a  lighted  cave]  we  saw  them  rapidly  wending  their 
way  under  the  water,  flying  with  outspread  wings,  and  not  at  all  in  the 
manner  represented  by  some,  who  say  that  this  bird  propels  itself  under 
water  by  the  feet  and  tail.  Of  this  I  am  certain,  having  been  an  eye- 
witness of  the  fact.4 

Audubon  refers  to  an  account  published  in  "The  Naturalist," 
regarding  the  under-water  flight  of  the  Dipper  or  Water  Ouzel 
of  Europe,  in  which  MacGillivray  says  that  its  actions  under 
water  are  precisely  similar  to  those  of  divers,  mergansers  and 
cormorants,  which  he  had  often  watched  from  an  eminence  as 
they  pursued  shoals  of  sand  eels  along  the  shores  of  the  Hebri- 
des. It  flew,  not  using  the  wing  from  the  carpal  joint  alone, 
but  extending  it  considerably  and  employing  the  whole  extent 
as  if  in  air.5 

Jordan,  a  lifelong  observer  of  the  habits  of  birds,  remarks:  — 

The  Cormorant  uses  its  wings  as  well  as  its  large  paddles  when  diving.6 

I 

Dr.  Hatch,  who  lived  in  Minnesota  at  a  time  when  Double- 
crested  Cormorants  bred  there  locally  in  "innumerable  num- 

1  Selous,  Edward:  The  Bird  Watcher  in  the  Shetlands,  1905,  p.  50. 

2  Seebohm,  Henry:  British  Birds,  Vol.  Ill,  1885,  p.  657. 

3  Dixon,  Charles:  Our  Rarer  Birds,  1888,  p.  347. 

*  MacGillivray,  Wm.:  British  Birds,  Vol.  V,  1852,  p.  396. 
5  Audubon,  John  J.:  Ornithological  Biography,  Vol.  IV,  1830,  p.  495. 

a  A  Son  of  the  Marshes,  [Jordan,  Denhamj:   Wild  Fowl  and  Sea  Fowl  of  Great  Britain,  1895, 
p.  304. 


27 

bers,"  and  who  spent  much  time  in  the  field  watching  water 
birds,  writes  of  them  as  follows:  — 

Being  principally  fish-eaters  they  spend  most  of  their  time  in  the  water, 
where  their  movements  in  pursuit  of  their  prey  are  simply  marvelous  in 
velocity.  With  their  totipalmated  feet  folded  flatly  into  mere  blades 
while  carried  forward,  and  when  struck  out  backwards  opening  to  their 
utmost,  and  with  the  half-spread  wings  beating  with  inconceivable 
rapidity,  they  seem  to  fly  through  the  waters  at  various  depths  in  pursuit 
of  their  favorite  food,  the  fish.1 

It  is  difficult  now  to  get  much  evidence  from  American  ob- 
servers regarding  the  diving  habits  of  cormorants.  On  the 
Atlantic  coast  these  birds  have  been  so  much  persecuted  that 
they  are  very  shy.  Opportunities  to  watch  them  under  water 
in  their  usual  haunts  are  exceedingly  rare.  On  the  Pacific  coast 
the  chances  are  better,  and  occasionally  some  one  notes  the 
subsurface  activities  of  cormorants  in  the  interior. 

Mr.  William  E.  Praeger  says  that  he  once  saw  a  cormorant 
under  water  and  that  the  wings  were  not  used  in  swimming. 
Mr.  Lee  S.  Crandall  says  that  when  cormorants  were  observed 
in  a  glass  tank,  so  far  as  could  be  seen  the  wings  wrere  not  used 
but  were  kept  closed.  Mr.  E.  F.  Pope  says  that  he  has  had 
much  experience  with  cormorants,  but  never  saw  them  make 
use  of  their  wings  when  swimming  under  water.  Mr.  Louis 
Agassiz  Fuertes  says  that  cormorants  customarily  use  wings  as 
well  as  feet  in  swimming,  but  that  they  do  not  fly  under  water, 
as  they  use  their  wings  half  opened  and  loosely  held  as  a  sort 
of  sculling  aid  in  changing  speed  and  direction.  But  he  has 
seen  this  only  in  tanks,  where  the  birds'  movements  were  re- 
stricted. 

Mr.  Roy  Latham,  who  has  seen  many  cormorants  in  fish- 
traps,  says  that  in  a  few  cases  the  wings  have  been  slightly 
lifted  but  held  motionless  as  with  Loons  seen  in  the  same 
circumstances.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  asserts  that  he  has  seen 
both  Brandt's  and  Farallon  Cormorants  use  their  wings  to  a 
limited  extent,  the  wings  being  slightly  opened  and  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  feet. 

Mr.  W.  Otto  Emerson,  Hayward,  California,  asserts  that 
while  watching  from  the  cliffs  of  the  Farallones  he  has  seen 

i  Hatch,  P.  L.:  Birds  of  Minnesota,  1892,  pp.  28,  29. 


28 

both  Brandt's  and  Farallon  Cormorants  diving  and  swimming 
among  the  kelp  and  mussel-covered  rocks.  The  wings  were 
held  "stiffly  from  the  sides  of  the  body,"  about  two-thirds 
open.  No  apparent  movement  of  the  wings  was  noted.  The 
feet  were  working  fast.  Mr.  Ira  N.  Gabrielson  writes  from 
Portland,  Oregon,  that  in  August,  1921,  at  Netarts  Bay,  a 
Farallon  Cormorant  was  observed  to  use  its  wings,  which  were 
merely  lifted  slightly  while  the  feet  were  driving  the  bird.  The 
Cormorant  passed  under  his  boat. 

Mr.  Alfred  Cookman,  San  Diego,  California,  reports  seeing, 
in  the  summer  of  1917,  near  the  Los  Coronados  Islands,  Mexico, 
Brandt's  Cormorants  diving,  using  their  wings  as  seals  use  their 
flappers. 

Mr.  Cookman's  description  follows:  — 

The  Brandt's  cormorants  (about  twelve)  were  feeding  near  rocks  on 
the  leeward  side  of  South  Island.  Four  birds  were  on  the  sea,  the  rest 
were  on  the  ledges.  The  tide  was  low.  The  sea  was  very  calm.  We  were 
on  the  rocks  at  tidewater  level.  The  depth  of  the  water  there  near  shore 
varies  from  6  to  25  feet.  There  was  no  beach,  only  ragged  rocks.  A 
male  in  nuptial  plumage  came  toward  the  rocks.  Sardines  were  plentiful 
and  a  school  of  them  had  entered  the  cove.  He  used  his  wings  with 
broad  expanse  and  forward  and  backward  strokes.  The  feet  were  not 
used  in  locomotion  beneath  the  surface  except  as  he  rose  to  the  surface. 
Then  I  was  able  to  get  a  quick  glance,  and  I  am  certain  that  he  used  his 
feet  in  rising,  assisted  by  rapid  downward  strokes  of  the  wings. 

On  July  2,  1917,  off  North  Island,  one  of  the  Coronados  group,  a  female 
Farallon  Cormorant  rose  to  the  surface  7  feet  away,  with  her  pouch 
filled.  The  water  was  clear,  the  sky  gray,  the  sea  calm.  In  rising  she 
struck  down  with  her  feet  and  moved  the  wings  with  each  stroke  of  the 
feet,  the  feet  not  striking  together,  but  alternating. 

Mr.  Cookman  also  remarks  that  he  has  been  able  to  watch 
these  Cormorants  diving  to  a  depth  of  about  15  feet. 

Dr.  B.  H.  Warren,  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  writes  that 
a  wing-tipped  Cormorant  that  he  pursued  used  its  wings  under 
water  in  its  efforts  to  escape. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Fleming,  Toronto,  Ontario,  reports  a  Common 
Cormorant,  in  a  tank  at  the  London  Zoological  Gardens,  as 
using  its  wings  under  water.  He  has  seen  the  same  species 
wild  in  the  Scilly  Islands  under  such  conditions  that  he  made 
certain  that  the  wings  were  used.  From  memory  he  says  that 


29 

only  the  fore  part  of  the  wing  was  used  in  quick  strokes,  while 
the  feet  were  used  for  steering  as  well  as  for  propulsion. 

Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  of  the  Biological  Survey  writes  that  on 
several  occasions,  while  standing  high  above  the  water,  he  has 
seen  cormorants  flying  under  water;  the  wings  were  fairly  well 
spread,  but  he  could  not  see  the  feet. 

Mr.  G.  Dallas  Hanna,  San  Francisco,  California,  writes  that, 
in  the  years  between  1913  and  1920,  he  has  observed  Red- 
faced  Cormorants  about  the  Pribilof  Islands,  Alaska,  using 
their  wings.  He  watched  them  many  times  from  sail  boats  and 
motor  boats.  The  wings  were  never  more  than  half  spread, 
and  the  strokes  were  made  at  about  the  same 
rate  as  in  flight  through  the  air.  The  speed  was 
not  estimated  to  exceed  ten  miles  an  hour  under 
water.  This  estimate  was  based  on  the  speed 
of  the  boats.  These  birds  appeared  always  to 
use  their  wings  in  diving. 

Mr.   Morton   R.   Cheeseman,    Rivera,    Cali-    Diving  position  of 
fornia,   says  that   cormorants  use   their    wings      ^et^edby  MO" 
when  diving  for  fish.     When  fishing  from  the      ton  R.  cheese- 
long  pier  at  Santa  Monica  he  had  an  excellent 
chance  to  watch  these  birds,  as  there  were  usually  several  swim- 
ming about.    The  wings  were  spread  as  in  the  sketch,  and  were 
used  with  quick  energetic  strokes.     He  could  not  see  the  feet. 

UNDER- WATER  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  WATER-TURKEY. 

It  has  been  difficult  to  learn  much  about  the  movements  of 
the  Anhinga,  or  Water-Turkey,  under  water,  because  (1)  we 
have  comparatively  few  southern  correspondents,  and  (2) 
usually  the  waters  in  which  the  Anhinga  is  seen  are  not  clear. 
Audubon,  who  spent  much  time  in  swamps  where  this  bird 
breeds,  asserts  that  it  does  not  use  its  wings  for  propulsion 
under  water,  but  keeps  them  partly  extended.1 

Mr.  Lee  S.  Crandall  says  of  Water-Turkeys,  observed  in  a 
glass  tank,  that  as  far  as  can  be  seen,  the  wings  are  not  used 
beneath  the  surface  but  hang  loosely,  and  Dr.  Thomas  Bar- 
bour,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  states  that  he  has  seen  Water- 
Turkeys  in  a  large  glass  aquarium,  but  that  they  did  not  use 

i  Audubon,  John  J.:  Ornithological  Biography,  VoL  IV,  1838,  p.  143. 


30 

their  wings  even  in  chasing  fish.  Mr.  Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes 
says  that  Anhingas  customarily  use  the  wings  as  well  as  the 
feet  in  swimming,  but  that  they  do  not  "fly"  under  water,  but 
employ  the  wings  half  open  and  loosely  held  as  a  sort  of 
sculling  aid  to  speed  and  direction.  But  he  says  that  he  has 
seen  them  do  this  only  in  tanks.  Mr.  Oliver  P.  Medsger  and 
others  who  have  watched  these  birds  in  tanks  corroborate  this. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  have  a  little  evidence  from  the  field. 
Mr.  Charles  J.  Pennock  asserts  that  on  September  26,  1914, 
on  the  St.  Marks  River  in  Florida,  he  chased  a  Water-Turkey 
that  was  wounded  in  the  body,  and  saw  it  using  wings  two  or 
three  times,  when  in  shallow  water,  to  hurry  from  the  boat. 
The  motion  of  the  wings  was  not  rapid  but  frequent,  and  he 
and  his  companion  felt  sure  that  both  wings  and  feet  were  used 
for  propulsion.  They  followed  the  bird  with  a  launch,  and  once 
more  saw  it  with  the  wings  in  motion  under  water.  Mr.  Harry 
A.  Cash,  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  says  that  while  sailing  in 
a  small  boat  down  a  salt-water  river  in  Cuba  he  saw  a  Water- 
Turkey  come  around  a  wooded  point,  and  at  sight  of  the  boat 
dive  into  the  water.  It  passed  the  boat  swimming  under  the 
surface;  "the  wings  were  about  half  open  and  used  with  short, 
quick,  jerky  strokes,  the  legs  were  held  stiffly  out  behind." 
The  bird  was  not  wounded  or  frightened  by  shooting. 

Mr.  C.  P.  Ward,  Bruce,  Florida,  states  that  he  has  seen  the 
Water-Turkey  using  its  wings  under  water.  They  were  about 
half  spread  and  were  merely  lifted,  but  were  used  in  quick 
strokes  when  turning.  The  feet  also  were  used. 

Often  I  have  followed  Water-Turkeys  in  boats,  but  never 
have  been  able  to  get  near  enough  to  see  their  mode  of  pro- 
gression under  the  dark  waters  of  southern  rivers.  Once  I  saw 
a  young  bird  half-grown  and  covered  with  light  down  spring 
from  its  nest,  dive  into  shallow  water  and  swim  away.  It 
could  be  seen  plainly;  its  motion  was  frog-like,  and  its  wings 
somewhat  extended,  but  as  thirty-five  years  have  elapsed  since 
then  I  cannot  now  make  a  positive  statement  regarding  whether 
or  not  the  wings  were  used  in  propulsion.  My  recollection  is 
that  they  were  not  so  used. 

From  the  foregoing  we  may  deduce  that,  as  hereinbefore 
stated,  birds  in  their  under-water  activities  do  not  follow  our 


31 

rules.  The  evidence  regarding  many  diving  birds  is  similar  to 
that  obtained  in  respect  to  Water  Ouzels.  One  observer  sees 
the  Ouzel  or  Dipper  walking  on  the  bottom  with  closed  wings. 
Another  sees  it  running  there  with  wings  raised,  slightly  ex- 
tended and  held  stiffly  "to  keep  it  down."  Another  reports 
that  it  flies  under  water  with  wings  alone,  while  still  another 
avers  that  it  uses  both  wings  and  feet  in  swimming  beneath 
the  surface.  There  seems  to  be  even  greater  diversity  in  the 
activities  of  the  diving  birds.  They  swim  beneath  the  surface 
with  wings  tightly  closed,  or  raised  and  held  loosely,  or  held 
close  to  the  body  and  used  in  either  quick  or  slow  strokes,  or 
well  extended,  or  partially  extended,  or  not  extended  at  all, 
but  merely  raised  and  beating.  The  carpal  joint  is  not  used  in 
some  cases  or  at  some  times,  and  is  employed  in  others.  The 
wings  sometimes  keep  time  with  the  feet,  whether  both  feet 
strike  together  or  are  used  alternately,  but  sometimes  the  wing- 
strokes  are  faster  than  those  of  the  feet,  and  sometimes  the  feet 
are  used  more  rapidly  than  the  wings,  while  at  other  times  the 
feet  are  extended  behind  and  used  apparently  in  steering.  In 
fact,  the  birds  do  just  as  they  please,  exactly  as  would  a  man 
in  diving  and  swimming.  Apparently  in  pursuing  swift  fishes 
or  other  birds,  or  in  escaping  from  man,  sharks  or  any  other 
swift  or  powerful  enemies,  birds  use  both  feet  and  wings  to 
make  great  speed,  and  only  because  they  can  swim  faster  in 
that  way  than  in  any  other. 

Grebes  in  the  shallow  marshes  in  which  they  breed,  where 
under  water  they  have  little  use  for  the  wings  which  would  be 
more  or  less  impeded  by  vegetation,  and  where  often  there  are 
no  fish  for  them  to  pursue,  very  likely  often  depend  on  foot 
power  alone,  but  when  they  or  other  diving  birds  need  the 
wings,  or  care,  for  any  reason,  to  employ  them  beneath  the 
surface,  they  use  them  as  a  matter  of  course. 

For  observational  purposes  the  field  ornithologist  needs  two 
structures  that  have  never  yet  been  employed  in  his  work. 
First,  a  watch  tower  from  which  he  can  observe  the  habits  of 
marsh  birds,  and  the  under-water  activities  of  birds  in  sloughs 
and  shallow  ponds;  and  second,  a  submarine  boat  with  windows 
of  heavy  glass,  from  which  he  can  watch  the  deep-water 
activities  of  the  diving  birds.  Of  the  deep-water  movements  of 


32 

diving  birds  we  know  nothing.  Most  of  our  observations  on 
their  subsurface  progression  have  been  made  with  birds  in 
tanks,  or  just  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  Ordinarily  we 
lose  sight  of  them  when  they  leave  the  surface,  or  immediately 
afterwards.  Usually  under  the  most  favorable  conditions  birds 
cannot  be  seen  plainly  much  farther  below  the  surface  than  15 
or  20  feet.  There  are  reasons  for  the  belief  that  some  of  the 
diving  birds  go  to  the  bottom  in  more  than  100  feet  of  water. 
Thoreau l  gives  on  the  authority  of  the  newspapers  the  state- 
ment that  a  fisherman  caught  a  Loon  in  Seneca  Lake,  New 
York,  80  feet  beneath  the  surface  with  hooks  set  for  trout,  and 
says  that  Miss  Cooper  has  made  a  similar  statement.2 

Bacon  gives  evidence  that  the  Old-squaw  when  feeding  in  the 
Great  Lakes  is  taken  in  large  numbers  in  gill  nets  at  a  depth 
of  15  fathoms,  and  rarely  at  27  fathoms  (162  feet).3  Mr.  G. 
Dallas  Hanna  of  the  University  of  California  writes  me  that  he 
has  taken  freshly  swallowed  Crested  Auklets  from  the  stomachs 
of  codfish  which  were  caught  on  the  bottom  in  water  200  feet 
deep,  but  this  is  not  conclusive  proof  that  the  birds  ever  dive 
to  that  depth.4 

Probably  in  deep  diving  the  bird  must  prepare  itself  for  long 
submersion  by  first  filling  the  lungs  with  air.  To  force  its 
buoyant  body  to  great  depths  must  require  extreme  propulsive 
efforts.  By  far  the  largest  propelling  surface  about  a  bird  is 
that  of  the  wings,  and  the  pectoral  muscles  that  give  them 
force  are  much  the  largest  and  most  powerful  in  the  bodies  of 
all  flying  birds.  Therefore  we  may  assume  that  if  the  pro- 
pelling power  of  the  wings  can  be  directed  backward,  they  must 
give  a  greater  impetus  than  that  given  by  the  feet.  However, 
we  do  not  yet  know  how  directly  the  wing  power  can  be  ap- 
plied in  diving. 

It  seems  probable  that  in  deep  diving  the  wings  are  always 
used  and  probably  the  feet  also.  Dewar  has  timed  diving  birds. 
He  gives  the  time  required  to  reach  a  certain  depth  and  return 
to  the  surface.  The  rule,  he  says,  is  twenty  seconds  for  the 

1  Allen,  Francis  H.:   Notes  on  New  England  Birds,  by  H.  D.  Thoreau,  1910,  p.  5. 

2  Cooper,  Susan  Fennimore:   Rural  Hours,  1850,  p.  10. 

s  Bacon,  Samuel  E.,  Jr.:    Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  17,  March,  1892,  p.  45. 
4  There  is  much  additional  evidence,  however,  that  diving  birds  reach  a  depth  of  more  than 
100  feet. 


33 

first  fathom,  and  ten  for  every  fathom  thereafter.1  If  I  under- 
stand this  rule  correctly  it  would  require  about  three  minutes 
for  a  bird  to  descend  100  feet  and  return  to  the  surface,  and 
over  five  minutes  might  be  required  for  200  feet.  A  Mer- 
ganser, held  under  water,  was  drowned  in  five  minutes,  and  I 
do  not  recall  any  authentic  instance  where  birds  diving  natur- 
ally in  water  a  few  fathoms  in  depth,  and  coming  up  undis- 
turbed, have  remained  beneath  the  surface  more  than  three 
minutes,  although  periods  of  four  and  five  minutes  have  been 
reported.  Therefore  it  is  probable  that  birds  by  use  of  wings 
and  feet  are  able  to  make  faster  time  in  descending  to  the 
depths  than  they  ordinarily  make  in  diving  in  shallow  water. 
Otherwise  they  would  have  little  or  no  time  to  feed  on  the 
bottom. 

In  reviewing  the  evidence  that  we  have  regarding  the  use  of 
wings  under  water,  I  find  no  comparisons  that  assure  us  that 
birds  move  faster  below  the  surface  by  the  use  of  wings  alone 
than  by  use  of  the  feet  only.  But  assuming  for  the  sake  of 
argument  (1)  that  the  wing-surface  used  under  water  is  at  least 
three  times  as  large  as  that  of  the  feet,  (2)  that  the  pectoral 
muscles  which  assist  in  propelling  the  wings  downward  and 
backward  are  perhaps  three  times  as  large  as  those  which  move 
the  legs,  and  (3)  that  the  wing-beats  are  as  rapid  as  the  foot 
strokes  (and  allowing  that  the  propulsive  force  of  the  wing  can 
be  fully  applied),  we  might  well  believe  that  birds  move  faster 
under  water  with  wing  propulsion  than  with  foot  propulsion. 
However  that  may  be,  we  have  seen  that  in  the  case  of  loons 
and  grebes  the  birds  apparently  move  faster  when  both  wings 
and  feet  are  employed  than  when  the  feet  only  are  used. 
Some  say  faster,  others  much  faster,  and  others  very  much 
faster. 

In  this  preliminary  report  nothing  more  need  be  said  con- 
cerning the  behavior  of  the  families  under  consideration.  Con- 
siderable evidence  has  been  collected  in  respect  to  the  under- 
water_ behavior  of  several  families  of  diving  birds.  This  must 
await  another  opportunity  for  publication. 

i  Dewar,  J.  H.:  British  Birds,  Vol.  XIII,  No.  12,  May  1,  1920,  p.  315. 


34 


Do  WOUNDED  DIVING  BIRDS  EVER  COMMIT  SUICIDE  ? 

Every  wild-fowler  knows  that  wounded  diving  birds  often 
disappear  under  conditions  which  indicate  that  they  have  gone 
to  the  bottom  and  died  there,  and  many  duck  gunners  of  long 
experience  can  narrate  instances  where  they  have  actually 
found  birds  clinging  to  the  bottom,  or  have  seen  their  dead 
bodies  rise  to  the  surface  after  long  immersion.  Often  the  dis- 
appearance of  such  birds  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
they  are  able  to  swim  long  distances  under  water  and  then  con- 


Female.  Male. 

HARLEQUIN  DUCK  (Histrionicus  histrionicus). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

The  Harlequin  has  been  known  to  dive  when  wounded  and  cling  with  its  bill  to  vegetation  until 

death.     (See  page  41.) 

ceal  themselves  in  vegetation  near  or  on  the  shore,  or  they  may 
even  come  to  the  surface,  merely  thrusting  up  the  bill  for 
breath  from  time  to  time  and  thus  escape  detection  in  rough 
water.  But  there  are  many  occasions  in  wide,  still  waters 
where  such  methods  of  escape  are  impossible.  Several  orni- 
thologists have  made  definite  statements  about  the  stratagems 
used  by  birds  to  escape  the  pursuer.  Samuels  says  of  the  Old- 
squaw:  - 

It  is  a  difficult  bird  to  kill,  and  when  wounded  it  will  dive  and  cling 
to  the  bottom,  where  it  dies. l 

i  Samuels,  E.  A.:   Birds  of  New  England,  1870,  p.  518. 


35 

Again  he  says  of  the  scoters:  — 

A  wounded  coot  is  a  difficult  bird  to  secure,  especially  if  he  happens  to 
be  a  sagacious  black  White-wing.  Often  he  will  submerge  all  of  his  body, 
leaving  only  his  bill  out  of  the  water,  and  sometimes  will  dive,  keeping 
hold  of  the  kelp  on  the  bottom  and  dies  in  that  position. 1 

Elliot  says  of  the  Red-head :  — 

When  all  other  means  fail  it  will  dive  to  the  bottom,  seize  some  grass 
in  its  bill  and  hold  on  till  life  is  extinct  —  commit  suicide  by  drowning, 
in  fact,  rather  than  fall  into  the  hands  of  its  pursuer. 

He  says  practically  the  same  thing  of  the  Lesser  Scaup  and 
the  American  Scoter,  and  he  says  also  of  the  latter:  — 

If  wounded  it  will  frequently  seize  some  grass  at  the  bottom,  as  already 
related  of  other  deep-water  ducks,  and  commit  suicide  by  drowning 
rather  than  permit  itself  to  be  captured.  If  the  water  is  clear  the  bird 
can  be  seen  close  to  the  bottom,  and  if  an  oar  can  be  made  to  meet  it, 
by  repeated  pushes,  it  can  be  compelled  to  release  its  hold,  when  it  usually 
rises  to  the  surface,  although  sometimes  it  will  swim  to  another  clump  of 
grass  and  hang  on  to  that.2 

Elliot,  however,  does  not  say  that  he  himself  has  seen  this, 
although  he  was  an  experienced  sportsman  as  well  as  an  orni- 
thologist, nor  does  he  tell  how  the  bird  attaches  itself  to  the 
vegetation;  but  Mackay,  also  an  experienced  sportsman  and 
ornithologist,  is  more  definite.  Writing  of  the  scoters  he  gives 
a  definite  instance  and  shows  how  the  bird  holds  on:  — 

When  wounded  and  closely  pursued,  they  will  frequently  dive  to  the 
bottom  (always  using  their  wings  as  well  as  feet  at  such  times  in  swim- 
ming under  water)  and  retain  hold  of  the  rockweed  until  drowned,  pre- 
ferring to  die  than  to  come  to  the  surface  to  be  captured.  As  an  instance 
of  this,  I  may  mention  that  on  one  occasion  I  shot  a  scoter  when  the  water 
was  so  still  that  there  was  not  even  a  ripple  on  its  surface;  after  pursuing 
the  bird  for  some  time  I  drove  it  near  the  shore,  when  it  dived  and  did 
not  reappear.  I  knew  it  must  have  gone  to  the  bottom,  as  I  had  seen 
the  same  thing  repeatedly  before.  As  the  occasion  was  a  favorable  one 
for  investigation,  the  water  being  clear  and  not  more  than  12  or  15  feet 
in  depth,  I  rowed  along  carefully,  looking  continually  into  the  water 

1  Samuels,  E.  A.:  With  Rod  and  Gun,  1897,  p.  408. 

2  Elliot,  D.  G.:    The  Wild  Fowl  of  the  United  States  and  the   British   Possessions,  or  the 
Swans,  Geese,  Ducks  and  Mergansers  of  North  America,  1898,  pp.  158,  166,  207-208. 


36 

near  the  spot  where  the  bird  was  last  seen.  My  search  was  at  last  suc- 
cessful, for  on  getting  directly  over  where  the  bird  was  I  could  look  down 
and  distinctly  see  it  holding  on  to  the  rockweed  at  the  bottom  with  its 
bill.  After  observing  it  for  a  time  I  took  one  of  my  oars  and  aiming  it 
at  the  bird  sent  it  down.  I  soon  dislodged  it,  still  alive,  and  captured  it. 
I  have  often  seen  these  birds,  when  wounded  and  hard  pressed,  dive 
where  the  water  was  40  to  50  feet  deep  and  not  come  to  the  surface  again. 
I  therefore  feel  confidence  in  stating  that  it  is  no  uncommon  occurrence 
for  them  under  such  circumstances  to  prefer  death  by  drowning  to  cap- 
ture. This  they  accomplish  by  seizing  hold  of  the  rockweed  at  the  bottom, 
holding  on  even  after  life  has  become  extinct. 1 


Female.  Male. 

WHITE- WINGED  SCOTER  (Oidemia  deglandi). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  for  Scoters  of  all  species,  when  wounded,  to  dive,  hold  on  to 
vegetation  at  the  bottom  with  the  bill,  and  die  there. 

Mr.  W.  E.  Clyde  Todd  of  the  Carnegie  Museum  at  Pitts- 
burgh quotes  Bacon  as  follows:  — 

I  once  wounded  a  duck  of  this  species  [Lesser  Scaup]  in  shallow  water, 
and  wading  out  to  where  I  saw  it  last,  I  found  it  holding  to  a  strong 
weed  by  its  bill  two  or  three  feet  below  the  surface,  stone  dead.2 

Mr.  Samuel  E.  Bacon,  who  is  responsible  for  this  statement, 
is  referred  to  often  by  Mr.  Todd,  who  regards  him  as  a  con- 
scientious observer  of  large  experience. 

1  Auk,  Vol.  VIII,  1891,  pp.  282-283. 

2  Todd,  W.  E.  Clyde:    "The  Birds  of  Erie  and  Presque  Isle,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania.' 
Annals,  Carnegie  Museum,  Vol.  II,  No.  1,  1903,  p.  521. 


37 


In  the  year  1912  I  published  in  "A  History  of  the  Game 
Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds"  a  statement  similar  to  those 
of  Elliot  and  Mackay  in  regard  to  Scoters.  This  assertion  was 
made  on  the  authority  of  many  people  who  claimed  to  have 
witnessed  such  behavior  on  the  part  of  these  birds,  but  since 
then  I  have  come  to  doubt  whether  a  bird  ever  actually  com- 
mits suicide.  I  have  always  felt  that  if  death  occurred  in  this 
way,  it  must  have  been  unintentional.  On  the  other  hand,  it 


Males. 


Winter. 


Summer. 


OLD-SQUAW  (Harelda  hyemalis). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

Samuels  says  that  Old-Squaws  when  wounded  die  clinging  to  vegetation  at  the  bottom. 

(See  page  34.) 

seems  to  be  a  common  happening  for  wounded  ducks  of  several 
species  to  attach  themselves  to  some  growth  under  water  and 
to  hold  on  as  long  as  possible.  Nevertheless,  many  cases  of  dis- 
appearance can  be  explained  in  some  other  way.  Wounded 
birds  may  be  seized  and  swallowed  by  large  fish  or  turtles,  or 
when  weakened  by  wounds  they  may  be  held  down  on  the 
bottom  by  large  shellfish,  or  entangled  in  rank  growths  near 
the  bottom.  Sometimes  in  very  shallow  water  with  deep  mud 
below  the  surface  a  bird  falling  from  a  great  height  dead,  or 
nearly  so,  may  go  out  of  sight  in  the  mud  and  stay  there.  I 
have  seen  such  a  case. 

An  inquiry  regarding  the  disappearance  of  wounded  water- 
fowl was  undertaken  in   1921,  and  resulted  in  definite  state- 


38 


ments  from  many  observers.  Mr.  W.  B.  Mershon,  Saginaw, 
Michigan  (author  of  "The  Passenger  Pigeon"),  says:  "Fre- 
quently Canvasbacks  have  to  be  gotten  up  from  below  the 
surface  dead;"  but  he  believes  this  is  due  to  weed  entangle- 
ment. Mr.  J.  K.  Jensen,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  asserts  that 
he  has  never  seen  a  duck  when  wounded  cling  to  the  bottom 
until  death,  but  he  has  known  a  wounded  duck  to  die  entangled 
in  weeds  at  the  bottom  of  a  water  hole  in  a  peat  bog.  Dr. 
Arthur  A.  Allen  says  that  a  wounded  Florida  Gallinule  dived 
and  was  caught  in  the  pond-weeds  so  that  it  never  came  up. 


Female.  Male. 

RUDDY  DUCK  (Erismatura  jamaicensis) . 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
A  diving  Duck  which  when  wounded  sometimes  goes  to  the  bottom  and  stays  there. 


It  was  not,  however,  holding  on  by  its  bill.  Mr.  Edwin  C. 
Kent  of  New  York  City,  notes  that  when  he  was  duck-shooting 
on  the  Hudson  River,  where  flats  were  overgrown  with  eelgrass, 
it  was  a  common  occurrence  for  a  wounded  diving  duck  — 
Canvasback,  Red-head,  Scaup  or  Golden-eye  —  to  dive  and 
vanish.  He  says  "two  or  three  times  when  poking  about  with 
an  oar  I  have  brought  up  a  bird  dead."  He  believes  that  the 
birds  became  entangled  in  the  grass  and  were  too  weak  to  free 
themselves.  Mr.  A.  W.  Schorges,  Madison,  Wisconsin,  relates 
a  similar  occurrence  with  a  Canvasback. 

Mr.  Ralph  Hubbard,  Boulder,  Colorado,  says  that  when  he 
was  trapping  Black  Ducks  and  Mallards  on  Lake  Cayuga,  New 
York,  in  connection  with  some  experiments  carried  on  in  1917 


39 

by  Dr.  Arthur  A.  Allen  of  Cornell  University,  one  female 
Canvasback  and  one  male  Scaup  were  observed  to  poke  their 
heads  through  wire  netting  under  water  and  drown  in  this 
position  at  a  depth  of  2  feet  or  more.  When  taken  out  they 
did  not  seem  to  be  definitely  caught  in  any  way.  He  does  not 
believe  that  the  birds  voluntarily  remained  under  water  until 
death,  but  that  this  happened  because  of  fatigue  and  fright,  or, 
what  is  more  likely,  weakness  due  to  starvation,  as  the  lake 
was  heavily  frozen  over  in  parts.  These  were  the  only  two 
casualties  of  this  nature  that  he  noticed.  Mr.  Mark  Sprague 
of  Belleville,  Ontario,  has  known  a  wounded  Black  Duck  to 
dive  and  to  be  caught  in  weeds  on  the  bottom  and  thus  drown 
and  remain  there.  Mr.  M.  R.  Cheeseman  says  that  on  sev- 
eral occasions  he  has  wounded  ducks  which  were  found  clinging 
to  weeds  on  the  bottom;  also  he  has  chased  and  caught  many 
young  ducks  clinging  to  weeds  under  water,  but  not  one  of 
these  ducks  was  dead  when  taken.  Mr.  John  Burnham,  San 
Diego,  California,  writes  me  that  at  Heron  Lake,  Minnesota, 
and  at  Warner  Hot  Springs,  San  Diego,  he  has  taken  wounded 
Ruddy  Ducks  that  clung  to  some  object  on  the  bottom  until 
death,  and  that  at  Heron  Lake  he  took  a  Canvasback  in  the 
same  way.  Mr.  Kenneth  C.  Gurney  reports  that  in  1904  he 
was  hunting  with  Mr.  G.  L.  Stevenson  of  Norway,  Maine,  and 
they  wounded  a  Black  Duck  which  when  approached  dived 
near  the  shore  where  a  lot  of  white  birch  tops  had  fallen  into  the 
water.  Mr.  Stevenson  from  the  bow  of  the  canoe  saw  the  bird 
with  its  head  thrust  in  among  the  branches,  but  apparently  it 
was  not  holding  on  by  the  bill.  It  was  about  2^  feet  under 
water.  The  bird  finally  came  to  the  surface  alive.  Mr.  Ludlow 
Griscom  says  that  he  has  twice  seen  wounded  Pintails  and 
Green-winged  Teals  cling  to  the  bottom,  but  that  they  finally 
let  go  and  did  not  drown.  In  each  case  the  water  was  quite 
shallow. 

Dr.  Thomas  S.  Roberts,  Director,  Zoological  Museum,  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota,  says  that  three  times  he  has  known  birds 
to  cling  to  some  object  on  the  bottom  —  once  a  male  Mallard, 
once  a  Red-head,  and  once  a  Coot  or  Mud-hen.  All  these  cases 
were  in  the  vicinity  of  Minneapolis.  He  pulled  all  of  the  birds 
from  their  grip  on  lily  leaf-stems  or  grass  at  the  bottom.  The 


40 


Coot  was  the  deepest,  at  2  feet  from  the  surface.  Dr.  Roberts 
says  that  these  birds  were  not  quite  dead  when  taken.  Mr. 
David  H.  Scott,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  says  that  he  once  saw  a 
wounded  Merganser  drop  very  close  to  him  in  the  rushes,  and 
that  he  and  his  friend  went  after  the  bird  in  a  boat  when  it 
dived.  On  coming  to  the  place  where  it  was  last  seen,  it  was 
finally  found  clinging  to  a  weed  at  the  bottom.  Mr.  Robert  0. 


Adult  in  summer. 

PIED-BILLED  GREBE  (Podilymbus  podiceps). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

This  species,  when  wounded,  sometimes  goes  under  water  and  stays  there  to  die,  either  by  hold- 
ing on  to  vegetation  or  by  pushing  under  it. 


Morris,  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  reports  that  he  has  seen  a 
wounded  Wood  Duck  clinging  to  weeds  at  the  bottom  of  water 
two  or  three  feet  in  depth.  His  dog  finally  brought  in  the  bird. 
Mr.  Albert  J.  B.  Kirn,  Solomon,  Kansas,  says  that  he  has 
known  a  Pied-billed  Grebe  to  cling  with  its  feet  to  weeds  under 
water  when  wounded  and  pursued.  Mr.  Willard  E.  Treat, 
Silver  Lane,  Connecticut,  reports  that  he  has  found  a  Blue- 
winged  Teal  dead  in  a  marsh  with  one  foot  clinging  to  a  stalk 
of  wild  oats,  which,  however,  was  broken  off  and  lying  beside 


41 

the  bird.  He  also  says  that  he  has  known  unwounded  ducks 
and  even  a  Canada  Goose  to  become  entangled  in  vegetation 
under  water  and  drown  there.  Mr.  Roy  Latham  says  that 
wounded  Black  Ducks  have  been  seen  to  dive  and  hold  them- 
selves down  by  grass  stems  until  nearly  dead.  Others  have 
reported  to  him  that  ducks  have  remained  thus  under  water 
until  death  ensued.  But  he  has  not  seen  this.  Mr.  William 
A.  Jeffries  of  Boston  writes  me  that  he  knew  of  one  case  where 
a  wounded  Blue-winged  Teal  went  to  the  bottom  and  stayed 
there,  apparently  it  had  taken  hold.  Both  he  and  his  guide 
observed  the  bird,  head  downward  and  body  vertical,  in  short 
weeds  or  grass,  and  decided  that  it  had  caught  hold  with  its 
bill  as  there  was  nothing  to  entangle  it.  The  water  was  clear 
and  about  2  feet  deep.  Mr.  W.  E.  Snyder,  Beaver  Dam,  Wis- 
consin, reports  two  cases  where  wounded  ducks  clung  by  the 
bill  to  some  object  on  the  bottom  to  escape  capture,  but  not 
until  death.  A  third  bird  was  so  badly  wounded  that  when  it 
became  entangled  in  weeds  under  water  it  could  not  free  itself. 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Benson,  Salem,  Massachusetts,  reports  that  he 
was  gunning  with  George  Patterson  who  shot  a  Black  Duck, 
which  disappeared  in  about  a  foot  of  water.  After  a  long  time 
the  bird  was  found  dead  in  some  short  eelgrass.  It  had  grass 
in  its  mouth.  Mr.  G.  Dallas  Hanna  says  that  at  the  Pribilof 
Islands,  Alaska,  he  has  seen  both  Harlequin  ducks  and  Old- 
squaws  dive  when  wounded,  and  never  reappear.  In  only  one 
case  was  he  able  to  find  the  bird.  This  was  a  Harlequin  which 
was  found  dead  clinging  with  its  bill  to  kelp  near  the  bottom  in 
water  about  8  feet  deep.  Mr.  John  L.  Cole,  Nevada,  Iowa, 
avers  that  he  has  known  of  several  cases  where  ducks  dived 
when  wounded,  clung  until  death,  and  released  their  hold 
shortly  afterward.  Dr.  Malcolm  F.  Rogers,  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, reports  two  cases  in  Oconomowoc  Lake,  Wisconsin:  a 
Golden-eye  in  1918  and  a  Scaup  in  1920.  These  birds  were 
wounded,  dived  and  did  not  come  up.  They  were  found  in 
about  5  feet  of  water,  where  they  were  seen  clinging  by  the  bill 
to  weeds  on  the  bottom.  When  hit  with  a  paddle  they  floated 
to  the  surface,  one  dead  and  the  other  dying.  Mr.  R.  Bruce 
Horsfall,  Portland,  Oregon,  says  that  he  has  known  a  Mallard 
to  cling  to  the  bottom  until  death.  This  was  in  the  Mississippi 


42 


River  near  Clinton,  Iowa.  When  hunting  with  his  brother 
several  were  lost  in  this  way,  also  a  Ruddy  Duck.  The  Mallard 
was  dislodged  from  its  hold  by  Mr.  Horsfall's  brother,  who 
used  an  oar  for  the  purpose.  The  water  was  about  5  feet  deep. 
The  brother  was  acquainted  with  the  trick  and  knew  just  what 
to  expect  and  how  to  get  the  bird,  as  he  was  an  experienced 
gunner.  The  bird  was  dead  when  it  came  to  the  surface,  but 
Mr.  Horsfall  is  not  positive  that  it  was  not  entangled  in  the 
grasses  at  the  bottom. 

Mr.  Blair  Coursen,  1177  East  55th  Street,  Chicago,  records 
that  a  wounded  Green-winged  Teal  dived  when  it  hit  the  water 


Male.  Female. 

BLUE- WINGED  TEAL  (Querquedula  discors). 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
This  duck,  when  wounded,  sometimes  hides  under  water  by  clinging  to  vegetation. 

and  was  later  found  dead  grasping  grass  tufts  in  its  bill  in 
about  2  feet  of  water.  Mr.  A.  M.  Brooking,  Inland,  Nebraska, 
says  that  he  found  a  dead  Blue-winged  Teal  clinging  to  reeds, 
and  on  being  further  questioned  writes  as  follows :  — 

I  can  give  you  one  specific  instance  of  this  in  October,  1918.  I  was 
hunting  in  a  lagoon.  I  shot  a  duck  and  it  fell  in  an  isolated  bunch  of 
rushes.  I  did  not  go  to  get  it  at  once,  but  waited  perhaps  ten  minutes. 
When  I  went  to  get  the  bird,  it  was  not  in  sight.  Upon  search  I  found  it 
below  water  grasping  the  base  of  a  rush  with  both  feet.  Its  body  was 
in  an  upright  position  with  its  head  stretched  up,  but  its  bill  was  several 
inches  under  water.  When  I  dislodged  it,  it  came  to  the  top  of  the  water. 
On  one  or  two  occasions  I  have  found  them  with  the  bill  sticking  out 
of  the  water  enough  to  get  air,  and  on  being  dislodged  they  would  en- 
deavor to  swim  away. 


43 


Mr.  Brooking's  experience  indicates  how  ducks  and  grebes 
are  able  to  conceal  themselves  among  water  plants  and  main- 
tain their  position  motionless  with  the  bill  just  above  the 
surface  for  breathing  purposes.  Major  Allan  Brooks,  Okanagan 
Landing,  British  Columbia,  relates  experiences  that  seem  to 
indicate  that  ducklings  cling  to  the  bottom  with  their  feet:  — 

Young  ducks  (downies)  can  repose  on  the  bottom  without  any  effort. 
I  don't  know  if  adults  can,  but  I  have  several  times  seen  Mallards 
a  few  days  old  dive  and  sit,  not  lie,  on  the  bottom  in  a  foot  of  water 
or  more.  Once  this  happened  on  inundated  pasture,  and  I  could  see 


Male. 

SCAUP  (Marila  marila). 

(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
Another  bird  which,  when  wounded,  sometimes  dives,  clings  and  dies  under  water. 

the  little  chaps  sitting  on  the  close-cropped  turf  with  their  eyes  open 
in  perfectly  natural  attitudes.  When  I  waded  in  and  picked  one  up  it 
swam  away  on  being  liberated  and  did  not  attempt  to  hide  or  dive  again. 

Mr.  Paul  J.  Fair  of  the  United  States  Forestry  service,  San 
Francisco,  California,  found  a  dead  Shoveller  apparently  cling- 
ing with  its  feet  to  weeds  beneath  the  surface,  but  he  is  not 
positive  that  the  feet  might  not  have  been  entangled  in  some 
way.  Mr.  H.  B.  Steele,  Jr.,  of  Chicago  tells  of  a  Loon  that  was 


44 

shot  and  badly  wounded  at  Plum  Lake,  Wisconsin,  in  the 
summer  of  1917.  It  dived  and  stayed  under  water  for  several 
minutes,  when  its  dead  body  rose  to  the  surface.  He  says  that 
it  is  "entirely  certain"  that  it  had  not  been  entangled  in  any- 
thing at  the  bottom.  It  rose  well  away  from  the  lily  pads  in 
which  it  might  otherwise  have  been  held  down.  Mr.  Norman 
A.  Wood  of  the  Museum,  University  of  Michigan,  tells  of  a 


Male.  Female. 

SHOVELLER  (Spatula  clypeata). 

(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 
Another  bird  that,  when  wounded,  sometimes  secretes  itself  under  water. 

Red-head  shot  October  11,  1906,  at  Portage  Lake,  Michigan. 
Mr.  Wood  says  that  he  was  in  the  boat  when  the  bird  was  shot 
on  the  wing.  It  fell,  went  under  and  did  not  come  up.  He 
looked  for  it  and  at  last  found  it  holding  on  to  some  weeds 
under  water,  dead.  He  had  the  same  experience  in  October, 
1920,  at  the  same  lake,  but  the  bird  was  a  Coot  or  Mud-hen. 
The  water  was  only  about  a  foot  above  the  weeds,  and  the 
bird  was  dead.  Mr.  Harry  M.  Harrison,  Camden,  New  Jersey, 
says  that  in  April,  1916,  he  wounded  an  American  Merganser 


45 


on  the  Choptank  River,  near  Cambridge,  Dorchester  County, 
Maryland.  It  clung  to  some  weeds  at  the  bottom  and  was  dis- 
lodged with  an  oar.  It  was  not  quite  dead,  but  expired  within 
a  minute  or  two. 

Mr.  Wilfrid  Wheeler,  Concord,  Massachusetts,  former  Massa- 
chusetts Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  writes  me  as  follows:  — 

I  shot  a  Black  Duck  over  a  marshy  pond.    It  fell  in  front  of  me,  disap- 
peared under  water  and  did  not  come  up.    I  waded  in,  and  felt  the  bird 


Female.  Male. 

MERGANSER  (Mergus  americanus) . 
(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

ine  Merganser,  a  "saw-bill  duck,"  when  wounded  sometimes  clings  to  reeds  or  other  vege- 
tation under  water  and  dies  there. 

at  the  bottom  where  the  water  was  perhaps  20  inches  deep.  I  pulled  it 
up  dead  and  found  its  bill  full  of  the  weeds  which  grow  in  the  pond.  It 
was  possibly  fifteen  minutes  after  I  shot  the  duck  before  I  got  it. 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Woodruff,  curator  at  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  writes  that  while  wrading  in  a  marsh  at 


46 


Pelican  Rapids,  Minnesota,  he  found  a  Ring-necked  Duck  dead 
which  had  grasped  a  weed  and  died  holding  on  to  it  under 
water. 

Mr.  Everett  H.  Hiscox,  Jewett  City,  Connecticut,  writes  that 
he  was  in  a  boat  with  two  other  hunters  on  Tadpole  Pond  near 
that  town,  when  one  of  them  shot  a  Black  Duck  which  dived 
and  failed  to  come  up.  They  paddled  to  the  spot.  The  duck 
could  be  plainly  seen  clinging  to  the  bottom  in  3  feet  of  water. 


BLACK  DUCK  (Anas  rubripes  tristis). 

(From  "Game  Birds,  Wild-Fowl  and  Shore  Birds.") 

Wounded  black  ducks  have  been  found  clinging  to  under-water  vegetation. 

He  disengaged  it  with  an  oar,  and  it  floated  to  the  surface  dead, 
with  the  lily  stems  still  in  its  mouth. 

Several  observers  tell  of  similar  experiences  with  grebes. 
But  their  evidence  seems  to  indicate  that  these  birds  might 
have  been  entangled  by  aquatic  vegetation,  as  they  could  be 
seen  among  vegetation  on  the  bottom  and  remained  there  dead. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Morss,  Bradford,  Massachusetts,  writes  me 
that,  within  the  past  ten  years,  he  has  known  four  Black  Ducks 
and  two  Green-winged  Teals  to  cling  when  wounded  to  objects 
on  the  bottom  until  death.  He  makes  this  definite  by  referring 
to  his  notes.  The  observations  were  made  at  a  pond  in  Essex 
County,  Massachusetts,  and  at  Currituck  Sound  and  Pamlico 
Sound,  North  Carolina.  He  says  that  he  cannot  decide  whether 


47 

this  is  done  purposely  to  elude  capture,  or  whether  the  bird 
seizes  on  the  vegetation  with  a  clamp  of  agony,  and  then  holds 
fast  till  death.  Mr.  George  E.  Burbank,  Sandwich,  Massa- 
chusetts, writes  that  he  and  his  brother  were  accustomed  to 
go  gunning  at  Sandwich,  on  the  shore  at  Town  Neck,  where 
there  are  large  clusters  of  rocks  extending  out  for  some  dis- 
tance under  water  which  are  covered  with  barnacles,  mussels 
and  other  small  shellfish,  together  with  various  kinds  of  food 
suitable  for  aquatic  birds.  This  was  a  great  feeding  ground  for 
Old-Squaws,  Red-breasted  Mergansers,  Surf  and  other  Scoters, 
loons  and  grebes.  The  gunners  hiding  behind  the  beach-ridge 
watched  the  diving  birds.  When  all  were  under  water,  the 
watchers  ran  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  fired  when  the 
birds  came  to  the  surface.  Many  of  these  birds  when  wounded 
dived  and  never  came  up.  The  gunners  were  on  the  beach. 
There  was  no  opportunity  there  for  the  wounded  birds  to  hide, 
and  they  fled  to  such  protection  as  was  offered  by  the  kelp  and 
rockweed  beneath  the  surface.  Generally  at  this  point  the 
water  is  very  clear,  and  Mr.  Burbank  writes  that  he  has  fre- 
quently seen  the  birds  dead  clinging  among  the  kelp  and  rock- 
weed,  their  bills  closed  about  the  stems  of  the  kelp,  which 
kept  them  from  rising.  If  dislodged  they  came  to  the  surface 
where  they  floated  like  any  dead  bird.  Mr.  Howard  W.  Eaton, 
Wolf,  WTyoming,  WTites  that  at  Conneaut  Lake  he  has  seen  a 
Ruddy  Duck  in  one  instance  and  a  Scaup  in  another  cling  to 
reeds  under  water  until  dead.  After  their  death  he  pushed 
them  free  with  an  oar.  Mr.  Stanley  C.  Jewett  tells  of  a  Red- 
breasted  Merganser  shot  at  Netarts  Bay,  Oregon,  which  dived 
and  never  came  to  the  surface.  Three  hours  later,  after  the 
tide  had  ebbed,  it  was  found  dead,  with  its  bill  clamped  to 
some  plant.  He  did  not  at  the  time  make  note  of  the  kind  of 
vegetation  to  which  the  bird  had  held. 

Mr.  Walter  H.  Miller,  La  Porte,  Indiana,  writes  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

I  have  had  considerable  experience  hunting  ducks,  and  have  often 
pried  Bluebills  loose  from  the  bottom  with  the  use  of  an  oar;  sometimes 
they  were  dead  and  sometimes  still  alive.  They  always  cling  to  the 
weeds  with  their  bills.  I  have  on  several  occasions  taken  them  off  of 
the  weeds  in  shallow  water  with  my  hands. 


48 

That  this  habit  is  not  peculiar  to  American  waterfowl  is 
proved  by  a  report  of  Dr.  Theodore  G.  Ahrens,  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, who  says  that  George  E.  F.  Schulz  saw  in  1920  an 
Anser  cinereus  (Gray  Lag  Goose)  in  Sweden,  south  of  Stock- 
holm, "dive  when  wounded  and  then  cling  fast  under  water 
until  dead."  Other  reports  might  be  cited,  but  lack  of  space 
forbids. 

From  the  above  and  much  similar  evidence  now  in  my  files 
we  may  draw  the  following  conclusions:  (1)  wounded  water- 
fowl, weakened  and  perhaps  dying,  often  seek  safety  below  the 
surface  in  under- water  vegetation;  (2)  in  some  cases  they  are 
entangled  in  this  vegetation  and  die  there;  (3)  in  other  cases 
they  grasp  aquatic  plants  with  the  bill  or  the  feet  and  hold  on 
till  death;  (4)  sometimes  they  remain  attached  after  death; 
(5)  there  is  no  conclusive  evidence  that  they  either  purposely 
or  ui&ittingly  drown  themselves;  nor  is  there  any  evidence 
that  they  do  not  do  so.  It  is  quite  possible  that  a  bird  in  its 
death  agonies,  gasping  for  breath  under  water  and  perhaps  un- 
conscious, might  inhale  water  and  drown,  but  we  have  no  con- 
vincing evidence  of  this  as,  so  far  as  I  know,  no  one  has 
examined  a  bird  in  such  case  to  see  if  its  lungs  contained 
water.  Granted  that  at  such  a  time  water  might  be  inhaled, 
it  might  so  reduce  the  buoyancy  of  the  bird  that  it  would  re- 
main under  water  after  death,  even  if  very  slightly  attached. 

It  seems  unlikely  that  a  dead  bird  would  hold  its  position  by 
either  bill  or  feet  after  death,  if  it  had  not  reduced  its  buoyancy 
by  inhaling  water.  After  death  the  muscles  relax  and  the  grip 
of  the  bill  naturally  would  relax  also,  but  if  the  bill  is  lamellated, 
toothed  or  serrated,  as  in  many  water  birds,  and  closed  tightly 
in  the  death  grip  upon  succulent  vegetation,  thereby  pene- 
trating the  tissues  of  the  plant  with  its  sharp  edges  or  point, 
it  might  retain  its  hold  even  after  death,  particularly  if  the 
buoyancy  of  the  bird  had  been  reduced  by  the  inhalation  of 
water.  I  am  told  by  medical  men  that  the  "rigor  mortis,'" 
or  rigidity  of  death,  sets  in  very  quickly  under  some  conditions. 
If  this  should  occur  quickly,  the  grip  might  be  maintained  for 
some  time  after  death,  or  until  the  muscles  relaxed  again. 

The  entanglement  of  birds  in  under-water  vegetation  may  be 
accounted  for  in  the  following  manner:  The  tendency  of  birds 


49 

when  wounded  and  pursued  is  to  hide.  When  there  is  no  hiding 
place  on  the  surface,  divers  naturally  seek  concealment  under 
water.  In  their  panic  they  may  dive  into  the  clinging  vegeta- 
tion near  the  bottom.  The  natural  tendency  of  birds  whenever 
they  find  their  progress  obstructed  or  their  heads  or  necks  en- 
meshed, is  to  push  forward  through  any  aperture  that  may 
present  itself,  rather  than  to  draw  back.  In  withdrawing  they 
go  "against  the  grain"  of  the  feathers,  and  their  wings  or  feet 
are  likely  to  become  entangled,  so  they  press  strongly  forward. 
The  poacher  takes  advantage  of  this  habit  and  leaves  apertures 
in  a  hedge  in  which  he  puts  snares  for  game  birds.  In  pressing 
forward  to  push  through  the  snares  they  are  strangled.  Thus 
also  the  diving  bird,  seeking  concealment  for  the  time  being, 
may  become  enmeshed  or  entangled  under  clinging  aquatic 
vegetation,  and,  being  weakened  by  loss  of  blood  or  perhaps 
dying  from  a  gunshot  wound,  may  be  unable  to  work  through 
the  entanglement  and  reach  the  surface,  and  so  drowns,  the 
body  remaining  held  fast  where  it  lies.  This  may  explain  why 
the  diving  ducks  at  Ithaca  did  not  withdraw  their  heads  from 
the  interstices  of  the  wire  netting,  from  which  they  might  have 
escaped.  They  may  have  drowned  there  while  trying  to  push 
through. 


14  DAY  USE 

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